hey sorry to bother but I’ve been trying to figure this out for weeks and I can’t and you’re the only person on the internet I know is greek 😭😭 there is a word that I’ve heard Nadja dolly (and Tash in real life) say but cannot for the life of me find what it is, she says it in the first episode when Nadja was at the build a bear asking for a new body after she didn’t ask for her opinion, and when Colin was confused about dolly Nadja wanting to bang him, it sounds something like Enexero? or inexero? if you could help me I’d be so grateful I swear I’ve tried spelling it so many ways and I just wanna know if it has a meaning so bad 😭😭 sorry to be a bother

hello! don't worry, I know which word you mean bc I've noticed her saying it as well but unfortunately I have no fcking clue what she's saying there either bc I've never heard that word before 😭 I extra googled it and the only similar word I found was ενέχυρο (enehiro) which means "pledge" in property law. but I'm pretty sure that's not what she means. maybe they actually wanted to say υπέροχο/υπεροχα (iperoho/iperoha) which means "wonderful" which could make sense! but a P sound is quite clear in pronounciation and definitely not to be confused w an N sound...... so if they really mean her to say "iperoho/iperoha" then they did a terrible job in translating/pronouncing it bc it does sound like "enehero" 😭😭 sorry for not being a big help in this case 🙈

edit: apparently it means "I don't know" in cypriot greek dialect lol which doesn't really make sense since Antipaxos is an island in the east while Cyprus is south-west and even further away so why would Nadja use cypriot dialect. but I guess it's just an easter egg for Natasha's cypriot roots non-greeks wouldn't notice anyway 😅

Eczema update 03/14

So my allergy patch test showed up as negative. I did not react to any of the patches, at least not strongly. I still have to wait until tomorrow just in case anything may develop, but it seems like this isn't the cause of my eczema. But the test was definitely worth taking.

I got the results for my food sensitivity test back and it was inaccurate. It says I'm sensitive to gluten, egg white, and cow milk. But I do not react or experience inflamed skin when consuming these, and I know gluten, dairy and eggs are common triggers for some people. While I do get inflammation after eating certain foods, like tomatoes, I doubt it is the ultimate root cause because I've eaten these foods in the past with no issues.

I take vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids, which are key anti-inflammatory nutrients that can help with eczema and most people are deficient in, but I'm not seeing a huge change unfortunately. I got the air purifier and its built-in sensor says the air quality in our house is clean. But our house is dusty and finding ways to effectively deep clean it while making it fun and not boring should be necessary. I vacuumed a lot over the weekend, the next step is to clean tables and counters and to clean my car.

My hands are red, inflamed, and dry. They are more red than the rest of my arm and the color shade and texture and dryness is different as well. I have a spot on my neck and by my left collarbone. I have redness around my mouth and cheilitis. Thankfully it is looking slightly better today and is less inflamed. But it still needs some time to heal of course. Perhaps the liver detox supplement is helping? Though it's too early to tell, I need maybe 1-2 months.

This got worse since I got back from Cyprus.

I can narrow this down to 2 things - gut health and detoxing. I vacuumed the house, cleaned the vents, ordered an air purifier, and started taking liver detox supplements. My patch test was negative and my food sensitivity test was inaccurate. Vitamin D, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids did not sufficiently help me, though flaxseed helps to an extent for sure.

I have a phone call with a functional doctor next week and we can go over some solutions and tests related to gut health and detoxing. I've heard of many people who cleared their eczema through detoxing. When I say gut health, I don't really mean probiotics. I mean that the gut, just like the liver, lungs, and kidneys, is a detoxing organ and can accumulate junk and toxins and pathogens from some of the stuff we eat and swallow every day. So a safe yet effective detoxification method can help get rid of these triggers and can clean the gut. Probiotics/adding good bacteria to a compromised gut isn't going to solve it. The solution is to detox the gut. Same thing with the liver, which is why I'm taking milk thistle and dandelion.

I just started Anthony William's book "Cleanse to Heal" where he talks about detoxification that is useful for those with autoimmune conditions, which he states is due to the abundance of pathogens (like viruses and harmful bacteria) and toxins (like heavy metals and pesticides). All of us are exposed to environmental toxins and pathogens on a daily basis, and for some people this can cause irritation and even autoimmunity. I started the book today and I'm already on Chapter 7, and it's almost 600 pages long. I haven't gotten to the cleansing chapter yet, but I'll get there tomorrow as it's 2 chapters ahead from where I currently am. He is a fan of juicing, especially celery juice. I made some on Sunday and hated the taste. But if there is some healthy juice or tea I can prepare that can help with the cleansing process along with the dandelion and milk thistle, then I'll give it a shot. Of course I don't want to overdo it. I am drinking herbal hibiscus tea at work, but I'm drinking it because I like the taste and it helps me relax as I read, not to "cleanse'. I don't know if that's making any difference.

To tame the itching for now, I ordered an anti-inflammatory cream from Amazon that has very good reviews (Eau Thermale Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream). I put some flaxseed oil and steroids on my hands this morning. I put steroids on because I cannot put up with the discomfort and redness anymore. But applying an anti-inflammatory topical can help because I've been using petroleum jelly all this time and it's not necessarily anti-inflammatory.

In the healing journey at the very least I can apply an anti-inflammatory topical, but not a steroid of course. It's the only anti-inflammatory I have that isn't drying and doesn't leave a white cast (like zinc oxide does, even though it's harmless). Topicals would give some immediate relief as I'm healing and recovering slowly internally. And it's fine to use topicals, I just don't believe it is the only solution (again eczema isn't skin deep, it should also be treated internally) and believe it should not be a steroid.

I am mentally all over the place now and am frustrated and annoyed. But like I did last year, I will heal myself again and again. I've never gotten my detoxing and gut health professionally evaluated. So when I do, I feel like it can offer some useful insight. And I'm exposed to stuff all the time, in my car, walking outside, in my house, the foods I eat even if they're healthy, the water I drink, filling gas, etc... I absolutely cannot avoid any of these, but I can find ways to take a break and cleanse effectively.

And I may end up spending a lot of money on this, but it is worth it in the end because I don't believe a single cent I spend on my health and wellbeing is a waste (except for the food sensitivity tests, boo).

I'll do what I can now, clean the house, avoid tomatoes (temporary goal until the inflammation is tamed), take the detox supplement, use my air purifier, use an anti-inflammatory topical (non-steroid), meet with the doctor, maybe drink some juice along with the liver detox supplement, etc... Even though I don't want to overwhelm myself with supplements.

But detoxing can help definitely, though it takes time. And I'll get my gut health evaluated to see if I a absolutely need something like l-glutamine in case there are signs of leaky gut (this can also contribute to eczema because loose gaps in the gut lining can allow pathogens and toxins to enter the bloodstream and create inflammation and autoimmunity). I doubt I have any gut problems though, it anything I barely experience gastrointestinal discomfort. So I'm assuming I just need a detox boost. I'll see what the doctor recommends.

Someone: Hey Zinon, how many siblings do you have? Zinon: *sweats heavily* ......55.

I swear this is one of my fave jokes on him.

Though it isn’t actually much of a joke. Zinon tends to hoard family because he actually doesn’t have much of it. He lost his mother (Ancient Cyprus) when he was too young to remember her, and his childhood was cut short when he was separated from his adoptive family too later on. (He basically got kidnapped by this guy called Isaac Kom/nenos around 1185, the Crusades Era was rough for him. Not that I would call his life easy before that with, you know, dead mom and stuff, but... Isaac Komn/enos is like the turning point from where things start going from somewhat okay to downright abysmal.)

Zinon’s only biological family in the modern day are the reps of Northern Cyprus... and I don’t think I need to explain that things are rather complicated between them. So the reason Zinon clings to Greece and his own Greek identity is bc it gives him a sense of belonging. Without it, he’d be left adrift. He doesn’t really know anything about his roots, his biological mother, or what a “Cypriot” even is or should be. (”Cypriot” as national identity was coined by the British in the 20th century; Zinon himself didn’t particularly want to be independent but it was better than “the prolonged agony of British rule” (quoting my Cyprus history book here). Ultimately, he wanted En/osis, to be unified with Greece, but that wish was denied from him.)

Zinon is devoted to those he cares about, and family is his top priority - anyone he considers family. (Though dissing Greece is the #1 way to get on Zinon’s blacklist. But, like true siblings, Greece is also hanging on the fence of Zinon’s blacklist every now and then.) He has a long history of being under others’ rule and so he has learnt to moderate himself and his opinions... as expressing his honest opinion (read: discontent) has likely gotten him in trouble more than once. He enjoys serving others (and gets really uncomfortable when others try to serve him; that’s just not how the world works in his mind) and often forgets about his own needs while trying to fulfill what he sees as his duty. He is willing to sacrifice himself for others - especially if it’s for Greece. Honestly, this is what I consider the most dangerous aspect of Zinon’s personality. He’s the guy who’ll definitely throw himself in front of a bullet or under the truck if you give him even the slightest chance.

The number 55, btw, is composed of the number of former British colonies in the Commonwealth of Nations who were under British Empire’s rule at the same time as Cyprus - plus Greece, and Northern Cyprus reps (his foster and biological siblings). All of these nations are people he will treat like his brothers and sisters. He also tends to see the former Ottomans (and tbh most of the Mediterranean I think) as something like extended family.

Watched my first Eurovision tonight and I can totally see why this is such a huge phenomenon. Europe, you've got a cool thing. I'm jealous!

Eurovision 2022 Song Opinions

Albania - I'm pleasantly surprised w their choice this year and it's something I've been wanting for a long time. I've know that Albanians know how to make a good party song and Sekret does not fail to deliver. I'm rooting hard for this and I can sense that it will be one of Albania's best result in a long time.

Armenia - It sounds like a hipster song from the early-mid 2010s that you'd hear in an ad.

Australia - They don't even belong here, but it's very Eurovision and he has a nice voice I guess

Austria - Definitely sounds like a radio friendly hit you'd see in Spinnin' Records. It's probably going to be a flop, but I'm just happy they're not sending another boring jury bait song.

Azerbaijan - So I've waited so long for them to release this song just to hear this snorefest? You've got to be kiddin me. Also do Azeri people feel so badly about their song writing/producing abilities that they have to depend on Sweden (or some western european country) every fuckin time? The chorus is pretty though.

Belgium - Is this the year of changing things? Because Belgium isn't giving us some mid tempo songs and an R&B one instead (which you hardly ever see in ESC). I absolutely love his voice and energy and this sounds like something straight out of Atlanta. I'm worried about his fate though...

Bulgaria - Wow. I expect great things from Bulgaria, but this is a huge disappointment and outdated as hell.

Croatia - Forgettable Taylor Swift demo

Cyprus - Sounds more Greek than anything Greece has sent these recent years. Woodland fairy vibes.

Czech Republic - Generic

Denmark - I love seeing a female rock song, but this sounds dated and is bound to be lost in the semifinals

Estonia - For the love of god, can Europe stop imitating country music?! Why would you want to mimic the US in a place like this? That said, I do like this song actually and at least it's not the Netherlands doing it.

Finland - The lack of rock entries this year is disappointing, and this one is the best one, but that's not saying much. The song's alright. However I love the Gorillaz like animation and, this did introduce me to the Rasmus, which lead me to "In the Shadows", which is a great song, so thank you for that.

France - LOVE! I'm a sucker for an ethnic techno track and the mysterious aura and Brenton makes me love it even more. Will certainly stand out. This is my personal winner. Well done France.

Germany - Forgettable Travis McCoy demo

Greece - Sure it's well produced and will certainly be in the top 10, but it feels very safe and not Greek at all. Gives off more Nordic vibes. If she was a Norweigan representative I'd like this song more. I'm just tired of Greece sending half Greek girls that aren't from Greece...

Iceland - When I first heard it, I thought it was boring, but now I enjoy it. It's pretty and sounds like a warm hug while camping in an Icelandic forest.

Ireland - I usually expect Ireland to send dull songs, but it was a pleasant surprise to hear this bop.

Israel - Fun and very Euroivision. Is it safe to call Israel the king of ESC gay performers?

Italy - I'm not a fan of returning performers bc I like seeing new faces and at first I was annoyed to see Mahmood return (this time with a little friend though). When I actually heard the song, I realized I was a clown. This song is great and it's very different from what he sent last time. If Italy doesn't end up with a high placement this year, no hosting country will.

Latvia - So they're not sending an electronic song. A joke entry I see. Very memeable. I miss the good old days when esc entries did stuff like this.

Lithuania - I thought it was going to hard to have a song almost as good as the Roop last year, but they ate this year too. I can't get enough. Smooth, unique, and mysterious with a touch of 20s/30s sounds. If this doesn't make to the finals, I'll riot.

Malta - I take back what I said about this bing the year of changing things up. Wtf is this hot mess? Out of Sight, while boring was still pleasant. Although with Malta's desperate attempt to be low odds, they replaced that song with something much worse. A corny ass Melofest reject that nobody's going to care for. If they place last in the semifinal, they deserve it. Also I'm tired of them only having girls.

Moldova - A simple, fun, ethnic song that's very eurovision.

Montenegro - I was looking forward for their return, especially since they haven't had a solo female singer in such a long time, but this song is pretty boring and the lyrics are cringey af. So much for making a comeback.

Netherlands - When I saw images of S10, I thought we were going to get a pop song, but instead we get a sad girl song in Dutch, which is even better. I don't like her voice, but I do like this song.

North Macedonia - I know it likely won't make it to the final, but I love it anyway and I can't stop listening to it. It also feels a bit nostalgic.

Norway - For a gimmicky entry with lyrics that don't make sense, it's a banger. It's even got a dance to go with it. Definitely something that'll motivate me to go hard on the treadmill. Another one of my faves.

Poland - Considering how had they've been flopping, I was surprised to see that they ate this year. Easy qualifier. I'd say it's the best of the sad boi ballads.

Portugal - Ooh I like this one. Seems very earthy and touching for someone who lost a loved one. If we forget about last year, Portugal has been serving as quality lately.

Romania - When I think of Romanian music, this is what comes to mind. Good ole' summer dance songs that we heard more in late 2000s- early 2010s. As a fan of Inna and Akcent, this is something up my alley.

San Marino - I heard this guy is popular in Italy so I was surprised to see someone like him represent this tiny country. What was even more surprising was to see them have a rock song and not some disco song.

Serbia - As a fellow weird person with a monotone and obsession with hygiene, I appreciate it. I can see it being a future iconic entry with its catchiness and gimmick on hand washing.

Slovenia - It's a shame this song is overlooked. It's a great example of a modern retro song (with a cute music video to boot). These kids have a mature taste.

Spain - Okay, y'all only like this basic ass song because of the choreography. That doesn't change the fact that the song is mediocre. Also the lyrics are cringey and I'm sick of women objectifying themselves. I'm not looking forward to seeing Chanel and her backup dancer's cheeks.

Sweden - I've tried to see what makes this song so high in the odds, but I still don't see it. Her voice is nice, but this sounds like something in the A Star is Born soundtrack, which I don't care for. But hey, at least they're not boring us with another generic male pop song.

Switzerland - I was disappointed considering how well they've been doing lately after so many years, they've sent us this Toy Story song. Don't get me wrong, he has a great voice and I really love the message of the song, but the delivery could have been better.

Ukraine - I prefer the Alina's song, but this one is great too. Fun, ethnic, and lighthearted with the iconic flute guy. I know for sure this will do well, but I'm afraid a lot of its points will be sympathy points and making it win would be cruel seeing that Ukraine can't afford to be the host country both location and financial wise.

UK - From the looks of it, this looks like it won't be a flop and possibly in the top 10. I wouldn't get my expectations to high though. The staging could be a hot ass mess and end up in the bottom once again.

Eurovision 2022 ranking

another year, another ranking. as I did with the previous years, I, again, ranked all the songs with numbers but I also put them into categories (from 💐 to 🥀) and added a short comment. let’s go:

💐:

1. Cyprus: I had a shitty day when I first listened to it but I instantly loved it and that is the best feeling with esc songs for me. I love it. I love the Greek parts so much, I think it's catchy, it has an old-school esc feeling to it (I mean like 00s and earlier 10s) that I miss so much sometimes. It feels good to hear them sound more like them again. I missed this vibe so much, I love this vibe so much and will always love it. Thank you, Cyprus. I was so done with the random Spanish words songs, I listened to those too, but this is what I wanted. I'm tearing up again lmao but sometimes I miss when things felt easier and there's a certain nostalgia here for me. It also reminds me of the beach and having a good time. I miss everything again. anyway, yay!!

2. Estonia: I’ve been rooting for Stefan for a while now and I am so happy that he’s finally going to eurovision!! I really like him and I love the song. I like the message and how catchy it is. however, I hope (lol) that they change the staging. it does not need that weird duel between the random cowboys.

3. Portugal: another favourite of mine that won the national final! I love the lyrics, love that they hit a spot in my heart, and the whole atmosphere of this song is soo lovely. I think it fits very well into the category of soft songs that I instantly love. 

4. Romania: yes! I don’t only love ballads, I also can very much appreciate a good dance song and for me this is definitely one of those. it’s catchy, it makes me want to get up and dance and it stays in my head for a while in the best way.

5. Spain: this song grew so much on me, but only the studio version. I think she will perform really well, I just don’t love the live vocals that much. the song is not that deep, maybe even a bit silly like a lot of these faster dance songs have been before, e.g. Cyprus the previous years, but I listen to it a lot and I like the mood it puts me in which is similar to Romania. 

6. Moldova: wedding vibes!! iykyk. good for them and for us. I can’t wait to see how this will look on the big stage because I think it will be fun and it will be a big party.

7. Macedonia: a good song! I don’t listen to it that much simply because it’s not on spotify and that’s where I mainly listen to the songs. I can’t tell rn whether that’s helping with the ranking or not, but I can tell you that I like the lyrics, her voice and the tempo a lot. I think it’s powerful and I really hope that the staging will be cool (and simple). I would also love to hear a Macedonian version of this because I bet that it also would sound good.

8. Belgium: a beautiful song. the lyrics are great, his voice is so good. It has a slight James Bond-ish type film vibe to it, but I don’t mind that. I say this once again, even though I have never watched a single Bond film, but the sound still reminds me of it somehow.

🌺:

9. Australia: I like this! I am now realizing that my number 7, 8 and 9 probably all fall into a similar category, but I like them all. this took a few listens for me. The lyrics with this song also hit in a way that sometimes they do when you look into your reflection on the dirty train’s window after a long shift on a Saturday night and around you there are drunk people and you wonder what your life has become. I like the nearly musical number feeling it has. the only thing that I am not so sure about is the glittery mask thing.

10. Armenia: a bit like Croatia, but I think this one is more interesting and makes, at least to me, more sense. or maybe I simply relate to it more. one tiny thing is that something about the way she pronounces some words is a bit, just tiny bit, annoying to me. I still listen to and enjoy it a lot.

11. Austria: is Austria allowed to use words for song titles that are not heaven/bible themed? anyway, the places that this song moved in my own ranking!! I had it at 30. first but then I got into it while speed walking to work and now I like it! I am even tempted to move it up higher because atm this is exactly what I like listening to. it reminds me of Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama and that kind of pop category. I am worried how this will sound live though.

12. Croatia: this also really grew on me and this still isn’t the last time you are going to read this in my ranking. I like it now. is it a bit forgettable and are the lyrics confusing to me? yeah, but I like listening to it.

13. Czechia: first, I was rather bored by this song it but I like it now.

14. Greece: phew, this one took me some time to process and get used to. my first reaction was that I hate the title and the whole theme of this song. it just didn’t find me at the right time to make me think about these things, so it was the opposite of what Cyprus did to me. I was also hoping for something more like Cyprus, but now I’m happy that they are not sending similar songs. I’m still not sure how I feel about the lyrics, but I can listen to it now, sing along and just let it be a song. I like the melody in the middle part a lot, the other parts also needed some getting used to it. why is it still ranked so high? I think there is definitely something appealing about the whole song, plus her voice is lovely unique!

15. Azerbaijan: a little bit slow and I think it gets interesting a too late into the song, but I like it. I simply like ballads. thematicalyl it is a bit like Greece, but here, thankfully, the lyrics don’t haunt me. on the other hand, everything else is less interesting than the Greek entry.

16. UK: I think the UK has sent in the past few years some very okay songs and I think this is another really okay song! the lyrics are interesting and also could be used for a good staging, because there are a few opportunities to make this look cool. It also might even be catchy enough this time, because I think that it is that as well, but we will see what will happen.

🌻:

17. Ireland: apparently the theme for me this year is ‘this grew on me’ but it did. now I listen to it. or maybe I just accepted it after listening to it a lot. I think the lyrics are silly, but with this type of song it’s okay. it also reminds me of a song they would use for a tv ad, but a catchy one. as so often with faster songs, I am not sure how good the live vocals will be, but, also as so often with faster songs, will that matter that much in the end? Will Ireland make it to the final? we will see.

18. The Netherlands: okay! I don’t think much about it and only listen to it when it comes on randomly, but when I listen to it, I like it. I also like that it’s in Dutch.

19. Iceland: I’m not crazy about it, but it’s cute. maybe a tiny bit boring. I wouldn’t mind seeing them sing something with Stefan if they should meet somewhere.

20. Malta: this one is a shame because I liked the first choice a lot more and had it in my top 10 and now this is rather basic. it’s not a bad song, but it again goes into that direction that they have been pushing for a while now. I also wasn’t surprised to read who is behind this song, but I like her voice and I think she will give a good performance.

21. Sweden: it’s alright and it will place high because it’s Sweden, of course. the lyrics should really be my thing, but somehow, I don’t love the song. maybe this will need a bit more of me listening to it. right now, I just think it’s okay, nothing special. I also don’t love watching the performance, idk. it’s not that I dislike it, but I simply don’t love it.

22. Israel: fast, catchy, okay. however, it’s also a bit annoying in a way that it is just over the top and not as empowering as I think they wanted it to come across.

23. Switzerland: I put this in the same category as Greece in terms of what are the lyrics behind these? I am just confused by some of the parts. the song is fine other than that and it is indeed okay for boys to cry! it is okay for anyone to cry. I like his voice and the melody is cute. it’s maybe a bit boring after the first confusion, so I don’t find myself listening to it often, but I can listen to it as long as I don’t focus too much on it.

🌼:

24. Poland: I don’t love his voice. the song is okay, but I don’t like the opera-ish parts. I actually get a bit annoyed by those parts even, so I sometimes only listen to the first part of this song and then skip it.

25. France: alright. inspired by Ukraine ‘21? it’s okay, I think a lot of us were inspired by it and I like that! the live performance was a bit too messy for me though and I was confused by all of the things happening at once and everywhere. I also don’t love the edm or you know whatever those bass dance music parts are called. I sound like I am 60 years old... but yeah.

26. Ukraine: I listen to it, but I don’t love all parts of it - the folk influence is nice, however, I am not a rap/fast speaking fan. not many more thoughts. Ukraine is good at the whole esc game and I am pretty sure that they will make it to the final this year as well. good for them.

27. Slovenia: something different from Slovenia this year. I think it’s nice that it’s in Slovenian and I think that they might profit from this being the only song that is like this. there is no other song in the semi, in both semis actually, like this one. again, I don’t listen to it that much because it’s not on spotify (yet?). it’s also not really my preferred genre, but I don’t hate it and can appreciate it being there.

28. Lithuania: it’s okay. I somehow don’t vibe with the performance from the nf. I also don’t love the song or her voice, but it’s okay. I can listen to it when it comes on, but I often skip it too.

29. Montenegro: a deep message behind it and really personal, but the song itself is a bit boring to me and sometimes also too much when I think about it too long and then I have to skip it or not watch the video.

30. Albania: oh, Albania.. the English revamp was not necessary. I think it made it worse. the song itself before was already too much for me. there are too many things, sounds, now also languages, swaps, genres etc. trying to fit in a 3 min. song. some parts I like, but then it switches and I don’t like it. to keep my train associations: this reminds me of getting onto a train and getting overwhelmed by everything - the mask on my face, too many people talking, at least I can find a seat and sit down, but then some random person decides to sit way too close to me and my heart beats too fast.

31. Bulgaria: I think this song has an old-school feeling to it, which I like (I promise that I am not 60 years old), but what is this song about? the genre also makes it a bit hard for me to rank it higher because it is not really my genre.

🥀:

32. Denmark: Italy and France from last year in one entry, but make it English and family friendly. maybe it needs a few more times of me listening to this to appreciate it more, but so far, I didn’t feel like doing that.

33. Finland: okay? feels also old-ish and goes in the same direction as Bulgaria for me (again: what are these lyrics? what is this song about?), so, not my genre really and I don’t feel like I can say too much about it, but even though it’s all that, I can still listen to it.

34. Italy: not for me. it’s slow and I am bored by it. I also don’t think that their voices go together, but I am generally not a Mahmood fan. Soldi was at least catchy, but this one is simply not my cup of tea.

35. Germany: look at this, Germany is not in my bottom 3. that is already a lot coming from me. I really don't like the talking-ish parts but I never really like those in any song. I hardly ever feel like listening to this song.

36. Serbia: too artsy trying for me and I just don’t find myself wanting to listen to it. tbh I don’t like anything really about it, but hey, it is in Serbian at least.

37. Georgia: a bit too repetitive. I bet the staging will be big or a message or something but I don’t really listen to this song ever.

38. San Marino: messy? also, inspired by Italy last year I am guessing, which already was not for me either.

39. Norway: nop. I am not big for ‘meme’ or ‘joke’ entries. I don’t like the masks, the title or the song.

40. Latvia: same as with Norway, but at least they are not wearing masks? or maybe I would be more comfortable if they were. the first sentence is already so off putting to me and makes me feel uncomfortable. the whole thing does actually. I don’t have a train association for this one, but for me being on tinder feels like this song. so, yeah. worst vibes for me and my last place.

thoughts on this years eurovision? im like mildly disappointed ngl. like there are so many ballads and slow songs and barely any fun ones. i can't even get invested in an act to root for on Saturday😔

Overall I think the quality I think is pretty high, especially in semi final 1 I found myself enjoying pretty much every other entry. Oh my god, look away anon 🙈🙈 Portugal's saudade saudade is my absolute hands down ride or die I-will-vote-20-times favourite. I started tentatively checking out this year's entries on Spotify like 2 or so weeks ago and this one got me immediately. It's just so beautiful, starts off slow and delicate but then builds up and there's an interesting beat and clapping segment, the lyrics are touching, it combines the artist's native language and English...It gave me all the Sebchal feels; I looped it like a hundred times, I cried, I loved it. So yeah, even if it doesn't win it's pretty much the song that defined my Eurovision experience this year. ❤️

In a similar vein, Italy's would-be 2020 entry, Fai rumore, completely got me. The way they brought the singer back for semi final 1 and gave him the performance he was robbed of due to the the pandemic, the way the crowd sang along with him...floored me tbh. Again, the lyrics are beautiful, and discovering the ~context behind the song made me appreciate it even more. Not this year's entry I know but shh. Incredibly sad but so so good. 😭❤️

On the topic of Italy and ballads (if you classify this one as such): Brividi is a top 5 for me. I like Poland! One of the few years we don't suck tremendously, though it gets overplayed a lot and I feel like I've heard it 36458 times already at this point jsjdf Oh, and Sweden's growing on me. My brain is defaulting to associating everything with Sebchal so that probably helps somewhat sjdfjg

I liked North Macedonia's Circles in semi final 2 but it didn't make the cut so :/ Oh and Cyprus!!! Reminds me vaguely of my dear beloved Secret Combination from 2008 (she podiumed!!!!!!!). But I feel like it's definitely one that's, er...better in the studio version rather than the live performance. It'll live on my Spotify I suppose jsjf Kind of enjoying the retro vibe in Lithuania's entry but not like a fave either.

As for the more upbeat/out there ones, I like Ukraine's entry! And ofc Give That Wolf A Banana is iconic and insanely loopable jsdefjrg Also I feel like this an unpopular opinion but Austria had me bopping ngl 🕺🏻And France as well, I'm kind of intrigued 👀

I feel so weird about Space Man (which is currently sitting in 2nd according to bookmakers) because like. Yeah I like it I suppose but also it feels like a generic song I've heard on the radio before. Forgettable, I guess. :/

TL;DR:

✨My current top 5✨

saudade saudade Stefania Ela Brividi Circles

Aph nations and eurovision #1 - aph Australia edition 2015-2020

Ahh, so I might as well start this thing off as I've been a bit obsessed with eurovision. So this is a series on how I think hetalia nations would feel about the music brought forward to represent them at eurovision each year.

Anyway, Australia - everyone's favourite European country ❤️

Before we begin, I would like to say that I kind of headcanon Jett's music taste to be all over the place, so the genre of music he listens to can be country, rock or whatever. The one thing it can't be however, is boring as I don't see him as the type of guy who would use music to try and fall asleep or to listen to whilst doing paperwork.

2015 - Tonight Again by Guy Sebastian

My god, was this an entrance. Jett would absolutely love this and I honestly think he would have spent weeks after the contest having this stuck in his head. I think, like Australia seemed to in the actual contest, he wouldn't really care about the staging as he was at eurovision! Something that I feel he would be very proud and excited about. So yeah, in summary, I think he would really like it, and would probably be really happy with the result, as he thought it was a one year thing.

He thought wrong.

But yeah I think in esc 2015, his favourite songs would have been 'Grande Amore' from Italy, 'I'm Alive' from Albania (those notes would catch him off guard) and probably 'Love Injected' from Latvia. His favourite probably would have been 'Rhythm Inside' from Belgium (and he would call her to tell her that he's voted for the song - which would be much appreciated)

I feel like he would have been happy with the winner ('Heroes' by Mans) as whilst the song didn't really stand out to him, the staging was really memorable.

Least favourite - 'Wars for nothing' from Hungary. Yeah, I really think he'd hate it - it's not his cup of tea.

2016 - Sound Of Silence by Dami Im

I think when the song came out, Jett wouldn't like it that much. Nothing would really stand out, and so he would probably find it boring. However in the live version, I think he would have absolutely loved it and would have been really happy that she came second, cause her vocals were winner worthy. However, I don't think that this song is the type of song he would listen to more than twice.

In esc 2016, he would love the staging for both 'You are the only one' from Russia and 'I've been waiting for this Night' from Lithuania - they both were constantly changing. I think that he would find both 'Help you fly' from Belarus and 'Play' from Australia absolutely hilarious and so they would be guilty pleasures. However I do think he would have voted for 'If love was a crime' from Bulgaria as I do see him genuinely both the song and the performance.

I think he would like the winner ('1944' by Jamala) even though he would probably accept that he can't really relate to the song. The song is emotional, and I think he would really respect it. However I don't see him listening to this either

Least favourite song - 'Slow Down' from the Netherlands and 'If I were sorry' from Sweden. Yeah, both songs just don't go anywhere and I think Jett would hate that.

2017 - Don't come easy by Isaiah Firebrace

My god would he hate this song. I really do think he would see this as boring, and unlike 2016, he wouldn't be pleasantly surprised by the singer's vocals. He would honestly be surprised that this came 9th in the end.

I do think that 'Rain of Revolution' from Lithuania would be one of his guilty pleasures. If he wants to make Wy laugh then I can see him putting that on. Unlike the previous year, I can see him liking Sweden's song. Likewise, I can see him liking the uk's entry (for the first time) cause of the singer's vocals. I think he would like the chaotic staging of 'Yodel It' from Romania and 'occidentali's karma' from Italy and the impactful staging of 'origo' from Hungary. However I think his vote would go to 'Hey Mamma' from Moldova, who would probably thank him at the next World meeting.

Yeah, I see him absolutely hating Portugal's song. If anything, I think that would be his least favourite song - perhaps alongside 'blackbird' from Finland.

2018 - We Got Love by Jessica Mauboy

Yeah, he'd really like this song. It's a general feel-good pop song, that I feel like he'd just enjoy.

He'd enjoy quite a few songs from this year, 'that's how you write a song' from norway and 'toy' would both be songs that he would listen to after the show. 'la forza' from estonia would be a song that he wouldn't expect to enjoy, but he would. However, his vote would definitely go towards 'fuego' from Cyprus - he would love that song and be rooting for that one to win.

I think he still with toy winning though, just a tad disappointed.

Least favourite song - 'I won't break' from Russia. I don't think an explanation is needed. Although I see him also disliking 'Storms' from the UK (not that he'd tell them)

2019- Zéro Gravity by Kate Miller-Heidke

Ahh, I'd see Jett absolutely loving the staging. And I see him being proud of her hitting that note in the bridge... Yet I don't think he would like many popera songs, and so he wouldn't really listen to the song outside of the contest.

I think that he would really enjoy many of the songs of the contest, he would really enjoy 'spirit in the sky' from Norway, 'like it' from Belarus and 'fire of love' from Poland. I think he'd really like the staging of France, Spain and Iceland. Although I do see him voting for 'She Got me' from Switzerland.

I don't think he'd hate 'arcade' from the Netherlands, however it wouldn't be his favourite either. I think that he would have preferred it if 'soldi' from Italy won.

Least favourite song - 'that night' from Latvia or 'run with the lions' from Lithuania. I feel like he wouldn't like the songs on their own, yet combined with unmemorable staging, he would probably hate those songs.

2020 - Don't break me by Montaigne

I think Jett would be fairly neutral towards this song. Like he wouldn't like the staging, but as he would listen to the song outside of Eurovision, it would be ranked above 2017 and 2019.

He'd probably be gutted that eurovison couldn't happen this year, yet wouldn't complain. I think he'd enjoy 'uno' from Russia, 'still breathing' from Latvia and probably 'violent thing' from Germany. Also 'solovey' from Ukraine.

There was no winner this year due to corona, but I do see him having the view that Lithuania would have won. As a result, that's who would have voted for.

Least favourite song - 'you are the best in me' from France. I think he'd just hate the song. I also see him disliking 'grow' from the Netherlands - it's too slow for him.

But yeah, if he were to rank his own songs:

1. Tonight Again 2015

2. We got love 2018

3. Sound of Silence 2016

4. Don't break me 2020

5. Zero Gravity 2019

6. Don't Come Easy 2017

So yeah... that's how I think he would view it - would anyone agree or disagree, I'm curious!

Aim To Be A Traveller, Not A Tourist

By Dora Cheatham

Full disclosure.  I’ve been lucky.  

Born in England to Greek-Cypriot parents, I had a head start when it came to understanding different cultures, though straddling cultures definitely had its drawbacks.  I was never truly “English” or “Greek”.  My personality is most definitely English – my sense of humor, the way I think, my behavior towards other people, the way I do business are all so much more “British” rather than “Greek”. 

At school in England I stood out not because of any intellectual or sporting prowess, but because I was that kid with the curly hair and long, unpronounceable surname.  But my blood…ah my blood.  Put on Zorba’s dance and I’m out there, arms out, head bowed, kicking my legs and shouting “opa”. There is no denying my bloodline or heritage and I am secretly proud of being able to associate myself in some little way with the likes of Aristotle, Plato, Euripides, Archimedes, the Spartans, and the heroes of OXI day.

When you grow up in Europe, going from country to country is relatively easy, and with family in Greece, Cyprus and England my parents made sure that we visited the “homeland” frequently. In the 1970s my parents decided to move to Cyprus permanently, only to return to England after Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, leaving the country in tatters and many without husbands, without fathers and without homes. War is an experience that is part of my being but one that I would never want to relive.

Above: Greek Cypriot refugees fleeing to the south.  Image (c) Getty Images.

As a student, whether as a result of my bilingual background or not, it turned out I had a knack for absorbing new languages.  At school, I learned Spanish, German and French, along with the Classics, and went on to study French & Spanish language and literature at University.  This meant that I also had the opportunity to spend extended periods of time in Spain and France either studying or working. When I met – and married – an American, the idea of relocating to the US did not present itself as an unsurmountable obstacle.  After all, I had already lived and/or studied/worked in four different countries all before the age of 25.  

That having been said, I recently realized that I am a “travel snob”.  For the first time in my life, I went on a group tour – you know the type – 5 cities in 4 days, it’s Thursday, so you must be in Paris. That was when I realized that travelling is so much more than sightseeing and when I also appreciated – maybe more than ever – my multi-cultural background and education.  

Even at the early age of 17, I realized that there is no “best country in the world”, because each and every country has its unique beauty, strength, and indeed flaws. Because I was able to see that no one nation is better than any other, because there are good – and bad – people in all countries. That people in different countries think differently, and what may be important, interesting and inspiring to someone in the US, does not carry the same value or relevance to someone in Spain, Singapore or the Seychelles. 

While family, friends, food and a universal mistrust of politicians are common among all cultures, half an hour with many Americans and the conversation will eventually run to subjects like sports, tailgating, hobbies, shopping, business.  Conversations with friends in France would end in where one could catch screenings of films by Jean Renoir,  or a talk about the life, times and impact of Edith Piaf, Camus or Colette.  In England, pub grub was often accompanied with the uniquely British sense of humor, the exchange of anecdotes, experiences, and more trivia than one brain can hold. Yes, somewhat of a generalization, but you get the point.

And that is where so many people stumble. Too many people visit countries and compare them and the people of that country to their own – usually to the detriment of the countries they are visiting. To those people I quote Clifton Fadiman: 

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.”

Above:  Traditional Lefkara embroidery in Cyprus

When people ask me what I enjoy most about speaking several languages I usually give the same answer. It’s not about being able to successfully order a sandwich in a different country. It’s bigger than that.

Imagine you are in a huge room, surrounded by books, art, history, culture and the ability to observe and comprehend how the people in this room conduct business and live their everyday lives.  This is your country and everything in that room is accessible to you – whether you choose to access it or not. 

Now imagine that this room is also surrounded by a number of locked doors. Each time you learn a language and visit the country, speak with the people of that country, learn about what they believe in, what they love, what they hate and how they think, you unlock another door.  

Read their literature in the original language. Understand their art.  Learn how to cook their food. Talk to the people – preferably in their own language. You have just unlocked another huge room. 

Above:  Cypriot sweet cheese “fritters” coated in syrup.

It’s not just about visiting castles, cathedrals, or canyons.  It’s about so much more. And it is not until people understand this in its essence, that they can open their minds to tolerance and understanding. This, my friends, is what it means to travel.  

I’ll end as I began. I have been lucky.  My family believed in the old adage of giving your children both roots and wings.

To close out, here are some of my favorite travel quotes that maybe, just maybe, serve to illustrate the idea.  And remember, try to be a traveler, not a tourist!

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”  - Miriam Beard

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” - Augustine of Hippo

“Travel brings wisdom only to the wise. It renders the ignorant more ignorant than ever.” – Joe Abercrombie

“Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration and experiencing what you have not experienced before. How can there be any adventure, any exploration, if you let somebody else – above all, a travel bureau – arrange everything beforehand?” – Richard Aldington

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G. K. Chesterton

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”  – James A. Michener

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

“The value of your travels does not hinge on how many stamps you have in your passport when you get home – and the slow nuanced experience of a single country is always better than the hurried, superficial experience of forty countries.” – Rolf Potts

My 2020 reviews

All the cool kids were doing these so now I finally dragged my ass into doing them too lmao. 

Albania- Fall from the Sky

A song I swear cursed this whole contest from the moment it won Festivali i Këngës. Like with the shitshow this song caused I just knew the whole year was fucked. With half the fandom whining they didn’t get their first club song of the year to the other half smugly shoving it as their winner despite no other songs being around to compare it to, the whole fiasco just left me knowing that 2020 would end in tears, just hopefully not my own. As for the song, it’s lame. It’s a standard ballad with OBSCENE amounts of autotune, which is weird because the girl can actually sing pretty decently without it, so why they decided to make her sound like a damn computer is beyond me. And WHY did they translate it, haven't the past few years proven that Albania's better off leaving their songs in Albanian? 

Armenia- Chains on You

A bootleg Ariana Grande song, and a really shit one at that. The kind of song only people who think being young, gay and mean counts as having a personality would say is good.

Australia- Don’t Break Me

One of the few decent Australian entries (but that REALLY isn’t saying much coming from me, I barely care they’re in the contest by this point) but marred by a horribly untidy performance and lacklustre lyrics. At least it’s not fucking pop-opera, that’s all I can say. I’d rather listen to the sound of my face being dragged down the runway at Heathrow airport than be subjected to another Zero Gravity.

Austria- Alive

One of those pseudo-jazz dance songs, á la Olly Murs or Bruno Mars (I swear there’s a song like this in every recent contest). I mean, it’s good, but it’s just kinda meh since I’m kinda getting tired of this genre rearing its fedora-wearing head every time a new lineup rolls in.

Azerbaijan- Cleopatra

One of the “better” trashy entries this year, comprised of about five different musical genres, six ancient cultures being appropriated and absolutely zero class. Probably sounds at least 50% better when you’re absolutely steaming drunk and face down on the floor in the middle of a gay bar.

Belarus- Da Vidna

Somehow, this song sounds both very unique and original yet trite and average at the same time. I couldn’t decide whether listening to it was a new experience or if I’d heard it a million times before.

Belgium- Release Me

A song which just drones on till it ends. I would say it’s ripping off the song that won last year, but it forgot that having a chorus stops your song from being three minutes of snooze.

Bulgaria- Tears Getting Sober

A typical breathy mumble-girl song, AKA a genre I can’t fucking stand. Really don’t see the hype with this one, the melody is pretty but the vocals are out for lunch and it’s otherwise completely and utterly boring.

Croatia- Divlji Vjetre

One of the token big dramatic ballads you listen to once, enjoy, then forget about until Darius in the Discord server plays it one night whilst you’re hitting up the radio bot with requests. You’ll find that “nice, but forgettable” is a common theme for this year.

Cyprus- Running

Ironically Cyprus didn’t send a crappy Fuego knockoff for 2020, and I say ironically because a crappy Fuego knockoff would’ve actually stood out this year, and I say crappy because honestly Fuego wasn’t even all that great to begin with. "Running” itself is just one of those edgy tortured soul pop songs which, let’s be honest, would have been paired with an impressive performance which would’ve overshadowed how bland it is. Kind of like “You’re the Only One”. Or even Fuego for that matter.

Czech Republic- Kemama

Standard Afro-pop, a genre we don't often see at the contest so I'll let it pass. I feel like this is the kind of song that’s infinitely better live, and that it would’ve been one of those songs that suddenly became a frontrunner after the semi finals, but I guess we’ll never know eh?

Denmark- Yes 

The quintessential mid-10s Eurovision song. It's got guitars, happy people, Scandinavian origins… it’s just a typical radio guitar song, nothing special.

Estonia- What Love Is

I mean it's better than La Forza. Granted, the sound of someone pissing directly onto a microphone installed in the bowl of a toilet would sound better than La Forza but still. Going back to this song, it’s just... a standard Eastern-ballad with some very desperate lyrics. It feels kind of outdated, if I’m honest. Like something about this just reeks of 2011.

Finland- Looking Back

Yet another dreary, forgettable ballad. It comes to something when the best song they COULD have sent was a party song which sounded like it was from the mid 90s. At least that song was memorable. That said, this one at least has some decent lyrics. Bravo for that I guess.

France- Mon Alliée

France decides to say “fuck it” to being an underground fan-favourite and takes a leaf out of the UKs book by sending the same rent-a-Swede schlock they’ve been sending since 2015. I’m just confused as to why anyone in their right mind would choose to follow the UKs example but you do you France.

Germany- Violent Thing

A rehash of Sweden's entry from two years ago, but this time sung by Justin Bieber circa 2008. Kind of alright if you can stomach the singer's whiny voice, but otherwise pretty dull and kinda forgettable.

Greece- Superg!rl

Hello fellow kidz, we are hearing you like the girl power? The super heroes? The t3xt $p3ech? We made you song, please give us the votes *dabs*

Georgia- Take me as I Am

I mean… this sure is a choice. This feels like one of those songs that everyone memes on because the lyrics are kinda janky and the singer’s voice (and accent) take a bit of getting used to, but other than that it’s just one of those NQ songs for hipster fans to declare as their unironic winner at a later date. All in all this just feels like the male equivalent of one of those mid-10s fat acceptance women’s songs, only a lot shoutier and this time he has more flaws than not being skinny.

Iceland- Think About Things 

A bootleg George Ezra song, performed by a load of disinterested tumblr users in their pyjamas. Because if there’s one thing that sells me on a song, it’s being given the evils by a bunch of nerds who look like they’ll send me death threats for not agreeing with their Pokémon headcanons. To be fair, the song is kind of groovy since it sounds so 70s, but the performance is very off-putting to people who aren’t in the Eurovision loop. And also people who are, because I sure as Hell don’t see the appeal in this myself and this whole performance just feels like Save Your Kisses for Me without the charm. I feel like this would’ve come second or third, definitely with a lot of televotes but either the jury would’ve dragged it down or it wouldn’t have scored enough televotes to win.

Ireland- Story of my Life

A song that’s at LEAST ten years out of date by this point, think like an early Katy Perry, Jessie J or Avril Lavigne song. I’ll forgive it because even though it sounds like it should’ve been entered in 2013 (at the latest), it at least evokes some nostalgic memories of shitty school discos and holiday parks.

Israel- Feker Libi

The female equivalent of the Czech song. Unsurprisingly, people went wild for it when it was released. I guess only women are allowed to sing Afro-pop at this contest. Like with the Czech song, I’ll forgive it since Afro-pop is a cool genre anyway, and even though this is just another club song I can at least see myself dancing to it.

Italy- Fai Rumore

Well, at least my wish of “Italy sends a typical power ballad devoid of anything the mainstream fandom likes” finally came true. It was pretty refreshing to have a year where people weren’t shoving Italy’s entry up my nose left right and centre. In terms of my actual thoughts I can’t deny that the guy has a tremendous voice, but for some reason the song just doesn’t… click with me. I guess I like my male Italian singers a little more gruff and raspy, if you know what I mean. They gotta sound like they smoke at LEAST five packets of cigarettes a day for me to take notice.

Malta- All of my Love

Listen I am 100% rooting for Destiny Chukunyere to win this contest some day but man was this song a disappointment. It feels so… un-special and generic, like it gets the job done and that’s it. It’s not the stand-up-and-belt-it-out soul anthem I’d hoped for, it’s just… there.

Moldova- Prison

All I remember about this song is that it vaguely reminds me of that one Meccano song about the gypsy who makes a deal with the moon or something. And I’ve TRIED to remember more about what it sounds like, trust me.

Latvia- Still Breathing

The one horrible weird song you get every year which overuses strobe effects to the point it comes with an epilepsy warning. Would be bearable if it wasn't for the singer’s insistence that this is actually some feminist masterpiece when it's really just a self-empowerment club song about the singer fingerbanging herself over the fact she writes music.

Lithuania- On Fire

One of the songs everyone thought was going to win at one point, even though it seems like a surefire non-qualifier to me. It’s one of those weird entries, but not the kind of over the top, batshit insane, you’d-have-to-be-drunk-to-enjoy-it weird, the kind of subdued surreal weird. Like this is weed instead of LSD or cocaine weird. Granted my mom, who I consider to be a "typical" Eurofan, actually really liked this song when she saw it in the recaps, so who knows maybe this would have done well with televoters after all.

Netherlands- Grow

I appreciate this song for how artsy and clever it is with its structure, since it starts off acapella and the instrumental builds up with the song until it stops suddenly, symbolising a person’s growth from a child into an adult, and ending suddenly with their death (Geddit? The song’s called “Grow”). But it feels like the kind of song that would be lost on a Eurovision audience. The juries would have taken note, for sure, but the televote… let’s be honest, they’d have been too busy drunk voting for Russia to care about anything else.

North Macedonia- You

Well, it's better than the miserable dirge they sent last year, but given how I'd rather pleasure myself with a steak knife than listen to that song, that really isn't saying much. Going back to “You”, it really just feels like a diet version of Switzerland’s entry from last year, combined with Sweden’s song from 2018. What I’m saying is it’s your average “I’m a man in a club and I want to dance with and probably fuck this hot girl I just met” song, which I a new genre I just made up. You’re welcome.

Norway- Attention 

One of those songs you appreciate because it sounds nice and the singer has a good voice, but instantly forget because it’s really not all that interesting. If I sound like I'm repeating myself, welcome to Eurovision 2020.

Poland- Empires

“Rise Like a Phoenix” but sung by a wannabe Adele and not a mascara-wearing Jesus in a dress. Like a lot of other songs on this list, it’s just average across the board, likeable when it’s on, but instantly forgettable as soon as the next song comes on.

Portugal: Medo de Sentir

Pretty, but also similar to their ill-fated 2018 entry, only with a bit more energy and less pink hair. What I’m saying is this would have been another NQ unless the crowd who enjoy subtle ambience music come in to save it like they did with Slovenia's entry last year.

Romania- Alcohol You

See Bulgaria, because this is practically the same song. It’s just as dreary, just as badly sung (if not worse because holy shit this girl sounds like she’s being suffocated), and I suppose you COULD excuse that by saying she’s drunk or hungover… but I don’t want to listen to someone ungracefully mumble into a microphone for three minutes.

Russia- Uno

A classic big camp party song, the kind of song people who haven’t watched Eurovision since 2003 think wins on the regular. I can see why people would like it (especially in this boring year lmao, I applaud Russia for taking the opportunity to loosen their corset and just send a complete mess instead of their usual clinical vote grabs), but it’s just not something I enjoy. It's the song that plays into the misconception that Eurovision is just a clown show for drunk people, like this is just here to be that one flash-in-the-pan meme song that only entertains people who don’t really care about Eurovision until the day before it airs. Kind of like the old ladies they sent in 2012 (remember them?).

San Marino- Freaky!

San Marino, in true Sammarinese fashion, have yet again sent a decade-ambiguous song which sounds like it was either released in 1978 or 2003. I feel like this would have been one of those songs which could have surprised us if it had a really wacky, creative performance (think like Moldova in 2018), but this is San Marino so you know that would never happen.

Serbia- Hasta la Vista

Insert unoriginal joke about a decade wanting their shitty trend back right here. Okay maybe that’s a bit harsh, especially considering how this song is actually, yanno, unique in comparison to the rest of this year. But it still feels weirdly dated, in a way where I can’t decide whether it sounds like it belongs in 1998 or 2018. I suppose girl power ages a song regardless of when it was released.

Slovenia- Voda

Yet another standard Balkan-European power ballad which you appreciate because it’s well sung, but forget the moment it ends because it’s kinda boring. … Does anyone else have a bit of deja vu?

Spain- Universo

For some reason I feel like this song is shilling itself out to someone but I have no idea who. Aside from the horny people voting solely because the singer is moderately attractive even with that wretched Jedward haircut.

Sweden- Move

Imagine soul but… boring.

Switzerland- Répondez Moi

Imagine Arcade but… in French.

United Kingdom- My last Breath

Not the best the UK could have done, but it’s at least a modern offering unlike the residual dregs of the mid-90s that we sent throughout the 2010s. It’s definitely a bit too generic to have done any better than maybe 15th, but hey at least the cancellation means we won’t have to see it not do as well as the BBC thinks it’s entitled to do, prompting a billion clickbait articles about how Brexit somehow affected our performance.

Ukraine- Solovey

At long last we come to something you probably weren't expecting: a song I actually really like. Which is weird because I usually don't care for or don't like whatever Ukraine vomits into the contest, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a song I liked from them in such a weak year. This song isn’t for everyone, it’s white noise singing which is a very acquired taste, but this is honestly the only 2020 song I find myself coming back to over and over. And it’s in Ukrainian too, so you don’t have to put up with their usual mangled English offerings.

germany 🇩🇪 : do you like bread? Yeah. 

france 🇫🇷 : ever drank alcohol? Yes. It’s been almost 10 years since the last time, though.

england: ever made a mistake you really regret? I’ve made several. :/

scotland : do you prefer summer or winter? Winter. I despise summer, it’s long and miserable. We’re almost in October and we’re still experiencing 90 and 100+ weather. D; 

italy 🇮🇹 : currently in a relationship? No.

wales : how old are you? I’m 31.

finland 🇫🇮 : longest you’ve ever been in a relationship? 3 years if I count the Joseph situation.

sweden 🇸🇪 : have you ever been to ikea? Yeah, a few times.

norway 🇳🇴 : do you prefer wearing trousers or skirts? Trousers. I’m a leggings gal, though.

spain 🇪🇸 : do you take naps during the day? Yeah, sometimes. 

portugal 🇵🇹 : your sexuality? Straight.

estonia 🇪🇪 : do you have a crush? Nope.

ireland 🇮🇪 : favourite tv show? I have a lot.

denmark 🇩🇰: what were you doing at 20.30 last saturday? Yesterday was Saturday and at that time I was eating dinner.

poland 🇵🇱: do you have any pets? Yes, I have a doggo. <3

austria 🇦🇹: do you like chocolate? Yeah. I’m not a chocoholic, but I enjoy it now and then.

switzerland 🇨🇭: ever kissed a girl? No.

romania 🇷🇴: morning or evening? Evening.

bulgaria 🇧🇬: who was the last person you snapchatted? My cousin.

czech republic 🇨🇿: is there a song that never fails to make you cry? There’s a few.

slovakia 🇸🇰: how many languages can you speak? Just one fluently.

slovenia 🇸🇮: what colour is your hair at the moment? Red and my natural hair color cause it’s been 7 months since the last time I dyed it, so my roots are definitely showing.

monaco 🇲🇨: do you have an iPhone? I do.

the netherlands 🇳🇱 : when did you last see your mum? Last night before she went to bed.

greece 🇬🇷: do you live with your father? Yeah. And my mom, brother, and doggo.

croatia 🇭🇷: do you wear glasses? I do.

belgium 🇧🇪: favourite colour? Pastels, rose gold, mint green, and coral.

iceland 🇮🇸 : if you could chose one thing to be in your future, what would you choose? Good health?

ukraine 🇺🇦 : what’s the most money you’ve ever spent on clothes? At once? About 100.

malta 🇲🇹 : have you ever been on a cruise? Nope.

hungary 🇭🇺 : would you date someone 3 years older than you? I think so.

cyprus 🇨🇾 : if you could kill one person without any risk of being caught for it, would it be someone related to you? Wtf, no???

luxembourg 🇱🇺 : what’s the coldest temperature you’ve ever experienced? Snowy, freezing weather when I was in Idaho during the winter once.

serbia 🇷🇸 : do you use instagram? I very rarely post, but I scroll through my feed and watch some people’s stories.

albania 🇦🇱 : can you swim well? Nope, not at all.

lithuania 🇱🇹 : if you could go back in time to a moment in your life, when would you go back to? My childhood.

montenegro 🇲🇪 : pizza or pasta? Pasta.

latvia 🇱🇻 : do you have any scars with an interesting or grisly story? Majority of them are from surgeries. 

macedonia 🇲🇰 : ever eaten snails? Noooo.

belarus 🇧🇾 : last book you read? I’m currently reading, “Say You Love Me” by Willow Rose.

bosnia 🇧🇦 : last time you cried? A few days ago.

moldova 🇲🇩 : do you have a sister? Nope, but I have two brothers.

Dick Grayson is "camp" in its purest form

Did you know:

The word "camp" comes from the cant language Polari, a crypto-lect spoken in 19th century Great Britain (though it was spoken in other centuries in GB as well, just less frequently). It was primarily spoken by gay men, cross-dressers, sex workers and Romani people.

In fact, Polari has a lot of its roots in Romani dialects of that era, though it also incorporates words from Thieves' Cant, Mediterranean Lingua Franca, Yiddish, romance languages, and Cockney Rhyming Slang.

Other words that are from Polari include:

Drag/drag queen (from the Romani word "drataka", meaning "skirt)

Naff (dull, boring, hetero)

Ogle (to stare at)

Butch (masculine)

Notably, Polari is related to an almost identical language, Polyaree, which was (and still sometimes is) spoken by Roma people, predominantly those who travel e.g. in circuses, merchants, immigrants, etc.

Romani people (and especially Romani LGBT+ people) are still oppressed throughout Europe. They are often targeted by the type of xenophobia that is levelled against immigrants, even in areas where Romani people have lived for centuries.

In Spain (especially Madrid) Roma LGBT+ folks have taken to calling themselves "sexual dissidents", as they feel it's more inclusive of poor LGBT+ people and POC LGBT+ people (especially Roma)

While Roma people have lived in Spain for over 600 years, they still face discrimination and are labelled as outsiders and g*psies, who have had the vast majority of their culture stolen. For instance, flamenco dancing actually has Romani roots. Yet, to most westerners flamenco is seen as quintessentially Spanish.

And don't even get me started on how many people don't know that "gypsy" and "gypped" are racial slurs. (Romani people are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group btw.)

Anyway, my point is: "camp" LGBT+ identities, specifically that of gay men, are intrinsically linked to Romani culture, language and history. To me, this is something that should be present in more fics, and should definitely be mentioned whenever Dick Grayson is portrayed as LGBT+

IMO it's also a very compelling reason to make Dick canonically LGBT+, because there's so much Romani/LGBT+ culture to draw from and write meaningful stories about.

It was disappointing to see no mention of Romani folks at the 2019 Met Gala, and to see other groups (e.g. white cis gay men) as the focus. Even some of the well-intentioned intersectional messages neglected to mention the historical links between "camp" and Polari. Which in turn has historical links not only with Roma, but also with countries through the Mediterranean Basin (especially Greece, Cyprus, Morroco, Libya, Lebanon, etc.)

Polari also has significant roots in cross-dressing and transvestivism (most often an early expression of transness from before there was common terminology to describe transness) and sex workers.

I really feel like this is a part of Romani LGBT+ heritage the fandom is sleeping on despite one of the most frequently shipped characters being Romani in canon and LGBT+ in fanon (and sometimes implied to be bisexual in canon as well).

I think this is partly a product of US-centrism, because I've seen a lot of articles that mistakenly pinpoint the origin of "camp" as being in 20th century America, primarily in the black community. While I think that modern camp has absolutely been shaped by black America, and black LGBT+ folks in the US have been particularly influential in transforming camp into what it is today, the origins of camp are much older and much more culturally diverse, and I think it's important to honour that.

I appreciate that this might sound like an attempt to whitewash camp, because obviously I'm centring Dick Grayson in this subject, who is usually portrayed as white-passing. But the reality of racism and xenophobia against Roma people is quite severe, and many Roma people are brown (and occasionally black, though many more were black in the 15th century when they first came to Spain).

I'm not going to compare the struggles of black Americans and Roma people in Europe, because I don't think two different marginalised groups should ever be compared, but I do think both should be included in this subject, and the history between Polari language and Romani culture should be respected and discussed more than it's being discussed right now.

Also, if you need more evidence that Dick Grayson is the most camp human on earth, just take a look at his mullet era:

/end rant

Paintbox Soapworks 2020 Spring Limited Editions

I was in need of some cheerful, natural scents and Paintbox Soapworks came to the rescue! Spring collections tend to be my favorite--I love florals and green growing things, and delicate gourmands--and Paintbox always has beautiful offerings in these genres. As always, these products perform beautifully. The soaps are gentle and work up a nice, creamy lather. I love using them as hand soaps because they keep their shape well with use and they don’t turn into a gloopy mess in the soap dish.

Cyprus Hot Process Soap

Scent description: Noble green cypress & rich moss, waxy olive blossom, ancient sandalwood, & musk.

This is a beautiful soaps. I love the threads of gold that run through it! This is a gorgeous green scent. It smells like something that would be in a super high-end spa on the Mediterranean. It’s clean and fresh and smells expensive. The fluffy moss smooths out the sometimes-sharp greenness of the cypress, the olive blossom lends a hint of realistic floral, and there’s a hint of smooth sandalwood and musk in the background. Really lovely.

Dance of the Hares Soy Wax Melt

Scent description: Wild rabbity musk, tender roots, & damp smoke drifting through echoing woods.

I love this one! It’s a new favorite for sure. I get a lot of musk--which is both wild and gnarly and smooth all at once, and smoke (from smoldering incense) and rich woods. This smells like a metaphysical shop, in the best possible way. Like a metaphysical shop in the woods.

Find the River Luxury Glycerin Soap

Scent description: Golden bergamot, tea darkened water, oakmoss, sage, hemp, & shadows of vetiver.

This was fresher, prettier, and more cheerful than I imagined it would be! It’s a lovely tea scent--like an artisanal iced bergamot tea served on a porch in the bayou.

Lemony Biscuit Luxury Glycerin Soap

Scent description: Tart lemon cream cookies with freshly ground nutmeg & a touch of lemon thyme.

Oh my. Lemon gourmand scents (and lemon desserts!) are some of my favorite things in life, and this is a great one. Lemony Biscuit smells just like lemon cream biscuits/cookies. Tart, creamy, sweet, and perfect. The lemon is just right--it’s not funky or fake-smelling. The lemon thyme peps the scent up and elevates it. This is a new favorite! <3 

Milky Luxury Glycerin Soap

Scent description: Hot sugared milk infused with lychee scented tea leaves.

This is lovely--cheerful and uplifting! It is definitely a lychee-scented sugared milk, but I can’t decide if it’s hot or cold. Sometimes it smells cold, and at other times it smells warm. In either case, it’s a beautiful scent. It’s not too sugared--it’s very soft and creamy with a pop of happy candied lychee.

String of Pearls Luxury Glycerin Soap

Scent description: Lush flowering succulents of all shapes and sizes enveloped in wet moss, still greenhouse air, & smoldering incense cones.

This one may be my favorite of the bunch, although that’s a tough call to make. I love the smell of mossy, green, growing things and this one is spot-on. I’m not sure how Hayley managed to capture the scent of “still greenhouse air,” but she absolutely nailed it. To my nose it’s also similar to the scent of the humid Gulf Coast air here after a southern rainstorm--heavy and moist. There’s just a hint of gently smoking incense in the background that brings some intrigue. Just beautiful!

Paintbox Soapworks’ beautiful soaps (and other goodies!) may be perused and purchased at http://paintboxsoapworks.com/

My 2019 Eurovision Final Ranking

Everything is different from my fromer lists and that's the way it's supposed to be. I only looked at the live performances for this and basically ignored the music videos or studio versions.

This is also purely my own opinion, I’m not attacking you if I dislike a song you love, it’s just difference in taste in music (which is great).

(tbh i kinda like all songs except czech republic and estonia, and even czech republic isn’t that bad anymore)

26. Estonia: Victor Crone - Storm

It’s a gamble whether or not he’ll hit his notes, and even if he does, I still don’t like it. It’s just too basic for me, and I’d still happily switch him with Portugal.

25. Czech Republic: Lake Malawi - Friend of a Friend

I just...can’t like this. I tried really hard because Albert seems like a genuinely nice guy, but urgh. I just cannot stand this song at all.

24. Denmark: Leonora - Love Is Forever

Liebe ist für alle da~...but not for me. Apart from the really boring staging, this is pure Eurovision lovey-dovey romance. And why not utilize the fact that your singer can actually dance very well?

23. North Macedonia: Tamara Todevska - Proud

Honestly, I like the live version way better than the music video, but I’m still not that into it. She sings really well though.

22. Germany: S1STERS - Sister

A little bit of national pride definitely helped place them here - I don’t mind the song, they have nice voices, but compared to other songs? Meh. And we still had better songs to choose from.

21. Serbia: Nevena Bozovic - Kruna

I just can’t get into this song. It’s not bad by any means, but it doesn’t catch me. It didn’t catch me before the semi, it didn’t catch me in the semi and it won’t catch me in the final.

20. United Kingdom: Michael Rice - Bigger Than Us

I like him. He can actually sing so well, but he got a rather boring song, so I’m not really into it. I also haven’t seen his live performance yet (the ol’ Big Five struggle) so I can’t say anything about that.

19. Greece: Katerine Duska - Better Love

Oh well, I know everyone likes her a lot and I used to liker her a lot too but...the song lost it’s appeal for me. I don’t know why. I just woke up today and thought: “Oh, yeah, Greece is here too. Hm.”

18. Slovenia: Zala Kralj & Gasper Santl - Sebi

I’m starting to like this, even though the two of them staring at each other and him slightly touching her arm and face makes me a bit uncomfortable, for some reason.

17. Belarus: ZENA - Like It

It’s a bop, you guys are just mean. It’s not a musical masterpiece, but she can sing well, and even though her outfit is really awful, the song is fun. And she’s 16, guys. She’s really young.

16. Sweden: John Lundvik - Too Late for Love

I don’t know what I think about this. It’s not as boring to me as UK (so John Lundvik chose the right song) but I definitely don’t like it as much as some people seem to. Definitely not my Top Ten, but it’s alright.

15. Albania: Jonida Maliqi - Ktheju Tokes

I like ethno-songs, especially in Eurovision, so I like this too. I actually don’t have anything in particular against this song, I just like others better.

14.San Marino: Serhat - Say Na Na Na

This is pure sympathy and not at all quality. His performance wasn’t good, I can admit that, but I like Serhat so much? And at least this song is fun. (Also, calling me out with the very first line in the song? Perfection. (I do look sad and lonely. Something is wrong tonight. My faves won’t win, Serhat!))

13. Israel: Kobi Marimi - Home

Kobi can sing and the song isn’t that bad, and you can fight me on this. They won’t win with it, that’s for sure, but it’s not bad. It does sound like a musical number though.

12. The Netherlands: Duncan Laurence - Arcade

Loving this is not a losing game, we all know that. I don’t mind it, it gets stuck in my head, but that’s pretty much it. I won’t mind it winning, let’s say it like that. I won’t be rooting for it either though.

11. Azerbaijan: Chingiz - Truth

No hate for this song. Shut up about it. I don’t understand what he’s saying because his English is very...interesting, but it’s so catchy. I’m not a big fan of the robots though. They are, uh...bulky?

10. Spain: Miki - La Venda

It’s just fun! The performance looks...interesting, but this will be at the end of the night, after Australia and Iceland and Russia - nobody will care that this is a bit weird. The song’s fun, and I just like it! For no reason!

09. Australia: Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity

It grew on me again. The staging is amazing, especially the part where she’s over earth and you can’t even see the pole she’s sitting on? So cool. And the way she hits those high notes perfectly every time, mhmmm.

08. Cyprus: Tamta - Replay

Let’s face it, her performance in the Semi wasn’t the best of the best, but she has charisma enough to make me forget that. The song is catchy and I love it.

07. Malta: Michela - Chameleon

Also a very fun song, and I really like her voice. She also reminds me that I’m sitting at home doing nothing while she’s on stage at 18 years old and performing for all of Europe.

06. France: Bilal Hassani - Roi

When I dream, I’m a king too. Sometimes I’m also chased down a hill by thousands of rolling cheeses. But you don’t write songs about that. But if you did, I think Bilal could make me like it. (It also makes me giddy that my French is actually good enough to understand this whole song :D)

05. Switzerland: Luca Hänni - She Got Me

Yes, little-DSDS-boy, dance! No, actually, I like this. Choreography, yes please. Fun song, yes please. Neighbour-bonus, apparently.

04. Norway: KEiiNO - Spirit in the Sky

I hope we’ll hear people calling for them tonight. (No, that one didn’t really work, did it?). This is pure Eurovision and I’m so here for it. I love it. The joinking is weird, but it’s also weirdly fitting? I love them!

03. Russia: Sergey Lazarev - SCREAM

This is my emotional-support-Russian, leave me be. He can sing so well? The staging is...interesting. Yeah. I’ll use that word.

02. Iceland: Hatari - Hatrid mun sigra

We all love Hatari. Well, most of us, anyway. I love Hatari. (I’m german, we know how to do this kind of music. Might be why I like this.)

01. Italy: Mahmood - Soldi

🖤 Apart from the fact that this song is something special and I love it a lot, this speaks to me? My dad’s an ass to, Mahmood. I feel you.

so i FINALLY bring you my esc19 toplist, all under the cut, with short comments.

also be aware i literally... enjoy my top 31. so twenty something places might sound bad.. BUT THEYRE REALLY NOT, I JUST LOVE A LOT. i went into this year thinking it was weak, and then after i had this playlist on so much, hello, i love a ton. nevertheless, just my taste and opinions and good luck to all of them~

1. France ABSOLUTE KIN G stuck in first place because this is undoubtedly my most listened song this year, and i'm absolutely hooked on it. i am somewhat worried about that coming revamp, but. but i fcking love this song, and he improved those vocals like d amn 2. Russia i.... am in love. every time i hear this song it gets me into that sort of dramatic ecstasy and it's so big and beautiful that it just... it kills me. i die. thats it 3. Italy soldi is still my jam, and i adore it to bits 4. Slovenia this masterpiece is one i just want to protect. so soothing, i LOVE listening to it, it's just ethereal 5. Netherlands this song, at one point, was almost at every possible spot on my list from middle to top 15, but then it stuck with me and now it's utter love 6. Hungary i adore his voice, no bias. his whole vibe, his unique delivery and technique, that folky sound, like... yes please 7. Switzerland i am not ashamed to say i am utter trash for this song. every single part i love about this. like holy shit, this time switzerland better make it thEY EARNED IT 8. Australia she is QUEEN, i considered dropping it from my top 10 when trying to readjust ONE TIME and upon relistening i instantly was like "okay no way it's going anywhere", i just unironically love it a LOT 9. Norway actual legends... this song just cheers me up to SUCH an extent! love the joiking... i love eveything, bless you norway 10. Belgium at first, i had issues with it, because i wanted a bigger drop near the end, but now i'm just absolutely... in love... it convinced me. the instrumental, the building up, the dark undertone, just. i adore this 11. Poland oH I LOVE THEM SO MU CH. li s t en. i can't explain it, but they give me like a lowkey vibe of soft punk-rock theme but also like...?? japanese pop?? but no, it's polish and slavic and traditional and i'm really really vibing with it, because some of it is familiar from my own culture, and these girls S LAY 12. Albania albania always delivering those vocals.. i love the mystical vibe with the ethnic sound, it's simply gorgeous 13. San Marino can you believe i unironically HONESTLY thoroughly enjoy this song?? serhat is an icon, but his voice actually really fits with this song and i always get super into it. i'm so happy this exists lmao 14. Azerbaijan i'm very very much into this song, and i'm EXTREMELY curious to see how he pulls this off live as it seems to be such a radio song, but i have hopes. i just dig it, like... like a LOT 15. Czech Republic this is the most chill song this year, and despite the silly, easygoing lyrics it's just... extremely fun, and it's been my jam since it came out 16. Croatia listen. l i sten. i love... theatrical. i love big strong voice explosions. this CHILD is talented as fuck. i know many people hate this, but the song actually grew on me, and then today i just honestly love it. i wish the whole song was in croatian, but even with the not so great lyrics, i'm eating it up and singing along. i know he won't make it, but oh well. it's okay Roko, i love your voice and song 17. Armenia i really love this one, too. she convinced me further in amsterdam bc she absolutely killed it (although i feel like she had a nervous slip in the very beginning) but then after that.. holyshit. such a tiny girl with such a huge voice 18. Spain honestly, if you tell me earlier it would end up this high at one point i wouldn't believe you.. i never /hated/ it per se, but i also wasn't really impressed or as into it as most people were. i think the revamp was the one that convinced me in the end, because it forced me to face the fact that i do honestly enjoy this more than i want to. also now im nostalgic towards anything spanish, even if its different, bye 19. Finland yes, this might be nothing special, but i just... enjoy it. i genuinely do, and there are certain parts i especially love, and so therefore. like. yes. 20. Estonia as much as i didn't want to like this originally, i do. like, i really do. it just happened, and i'm not mad about it 21. Romania this song is a big grower for me, and to this day the more i hear it the more i get into it still 22. UK Michael's live delivery elevates this otherwise not so amazing song like... so much. i feel like the UK does tend to send songs with this particular theme, but i actually enjoy it quite a lot when he's doing it live. his voice is impressive, and so... here he. 23. Sweden these two ^ i always moved around together for some reason, as if they were linked, which might be because John wrote both songs, although i learned that later(??? but in the end, i feel like i prefer UK a bit more. this is also really good though, it works, and it has a great vibe for esc 24. Portugal so this one slipped quite far off, as with time i sort of lost the enthusiasm for it. i still find it unique and enjoy it nevertheless though, so it could definitely be worse 25. Greece i'm in quite a pickle because after not necessarily being super into this song, i started to really like it (VOICE, BRUH) but then the amsterdam concert happened. I KNOW she was sick, though, so i sort of have this on hold. if she delivers later, which i'm sure she will, she stays, but if not, this might drop a few slots 26. Lithuania this is another song that just makes me happy and makes me smile, and i can't explain it. i love lionboy. i'm just here for it 27. Serbia her voice is quite literally pristine, i love that she's singing in serbian, and i do appreciate her a lot as i honestly enjoy this song when it's on. it tends to slip my mind, though, which i hate it does, because it's beautiful and i'm rooting for her 28. Cyprus super unpopular opinion, but i actually like this a lot more than Fuego, and don't necessarily compare the two. HOWEVER i do kinda feel like i'm seeing the same thing from the same country, like, immediately after, which makes me a little less excited about it, oof 29. North Macedonia see, the message is very nice. the song actually grew on me a bit compared to the first time i heard it, but i still just... wish it was better. i like it overall, but it's just about pushing it 30. Israel he's actually very talented and on point vocally. the only reason it's not higher is simply because it's just not really my style, but it's one i still appreciate on stage 31. Georgia there is something about this that i like. i respect him, and when near the end there's sooo much power, then especially i really dig it 32. Montenegro the revamp did help them quite a lot, but overall it still kinda feels like a high school chorus, and i'm just not really for it 33. Moldova her voice is really nice, and despite how i found it just... done several times and kind of boring (oops), her live made me appreciate this just a bit more 34. Ireland i feel like this song is just kind of... there, for the sake of being there. it's not even bad, it's just... meh? 35. Malta that chorus is a major turn off for me, and it's neeeearing that point where a song just starts to annoy me... which i feel like is worse than simply not liking something, so it's on thin ice 36. Austria first of all i think her voice is very lovely. BUT... after about the 4th yo-o-o-ouh it does tip and starts to annoy me, which i wish it didn't, but... but it does 37. Belarus i wanna talk about how they had a huge shot with Michael Soul, but i will not go down that road and focus on Zena. this song just feels like a mess to me. like... a young britney spears song, but bad. i really don't get the appeal, at all 38. Latvia hhhhhhh. this one annoys me so much, i just can't begin to explain. it's flat, repetitive, and the chorus (??) fries my nerves in a matter of seconds, IM SORRY 39. Denmark oof... o o of. i don't want to be rude but basically this feels exactly like what you'd expect a junior eurovision song to be like.... except those are actually better. it's just... no. no. way too much sugar. it’s all just... no 40. Germany speaking of songs that annoy me? i feel like this is definitely the one i can't stand the most. *screeches* SISTAH x4 41. Iceland listen i'm not going to talk about this for long but basically i really heavily dislike this for a few reasons and can never listen all the way through without like.. suffering. the funniest thing is that i love the beat. but then.. the singing (NOT even the style) it just. it makes me angry, cuz this could be good. but it's not. also i don't like the pretend-gay stuff. but that's just me

Eurovision 2019 Opinions, Predictions, and Rankings

Whew! Got it done in time to relax for a few days until the show starts!

These posts are always really time-consuming to make, but at the end of the day, I like making them. I honestly don’t care if people read them or not, I just like talking about Eurovision, and that’s all there is to it.

If you do decide to read this: this is another year where a lot of my opinions aren’t exactly popular...I do agree with a lot of the possible winners (so it’s not as bad as two years ago), sure, but a lot of MY favorite songs this year are major underdogs. Yeah, I can’t exactly help it if my taste is weird, but I love my favorites and will defend them as long as I can. And hey, I’m American, so I can’t even vote. =P

I do like how there are no songs I dislike this year. That’s a good thing. There are only a few that I’m indifferent to, and everything else, I either like or love. That’s the sign of a good Eurovision.

Now, with further ado, on to the rambling!

(In alphabetical order by country)

Song: Ktheju tokës   Country: Albania Thoughts: So, as I expected, Albania wasn't able to reach the same level of awesomeness they did last year. Instead, we...still get a pretty interesting song! I enjoy this song quite a bit, even though it's not one of the huge standout songs to me. It's a bit more "standard Albanian entry", but that's not a totally bad thing. I like the beat here. Nothing wrong with heavy drums. I like drums. Prediction: I don't think this'll qualify, sadly. The second semifinal, which it's in, is super strong, and I don't think this song is good enough to stand out amongst the competition.

Song: Walking Out Country: Armenia Thoughts: I'm really starting to get to the point where I should never underestimate Armenia, since I've adored so many of their recent entries - including them being among my favorites in 2014 and 2016 and among my borderline favorites in 2017 - and now we have this song being one of my favorites this year. I normally love happy songs in Eurovision, but what we don't get as often is a good angry song. A song to listen to when you wanna tell someone off but don't have the courage to! That's what this song is. This lady has a really really strong voice, which is the best part, and she sells the emotion this song is going for super well. Overall a great song that doesn't sound like anything else this year, and...yeah, I love it! Prediction: I'm worried about most of my favorites this year...The betters aren't kind to a lot of them, and it's scaring me. This might be my unluckiest year since 2015, but I could also be worrying too much. I think Armenia do have a chance to qualify, having a very strong song and a good record, so I'll predict that this song'll creep up on people and qualify! If it doesn't, however...I won't be super surprised. There are also a few other songs in the second semifinal that I love even MORE than this one, so if one or more of those make it, I'll be fine if this doesn't.

Song: Zero Gravity Country: Australia Thoughts: Australia are still here, and they clearly give no craps! Well, um...this is a thing. That's what it is, all right! A thing! ...And I like it! Yeah, it took a bit for this song to grow on me, but it eventually did. It's still on the lower end for me, but considering that I don't normally gravitate (heehee) towards opera singing, to the point where I was indifferent to even "La Forza", I'm surprised that I ended up liking this one. Especially with how ridiculous it is! Let's be honest, this is a silly silly song! And that's why I like it! It has lyrics that COULD be taken seriously, sure...I actually kinda like the lyrics. They're clever. But...I'm unable to take the whole thing seriously. This is good "turn your brain off and listen" music for me. Yeah, there are many songs I'd rather listen to, but I'm happy this one exists. It wouldn't be Eurovision without stuff like this...Also, the "Nothing holding me down" part toward the end is extremely hard to shake. That too. Prediction: I'm beginning to think that Australia will always qualify. Their last two entries did not do well in the televoting and were carried by the juries. This one seems to be a BIT more popular, so it'll qualify without much problem. Honestly, I'm all for this! More silliness in the final, I say! ...As long as it doesn't place toward the top. It's not THAT good a song, guys...XD

Song: Limits Country: Austria Thoughts: I didn't like this song when I first heard it, not gonna lie. I didn't like the lady's "Love Injected"-esque voice, and I didn't like how it started building only to slow down again immediately afterward. But sure enough, a few more listens later, aaaaand...it grew on me. Not that I don't think it's one of the weakest songs - I'm still not overly crazy about it - but I just like it now. I got used to it, and I like it for what it is. It's harmless. Prediction: I'm really hoping this doesn't qualify due to it being my least-favorite song in the second semifinal. If it somehow qualifies, it'll be at the cost of a song I enjoy more, so it goes without saying, right? And so far, it's looking like it's not gonna happen, so that's good. I don't think I'll need to worry.

Song: Truth Country: Azerbaijan Thoughts: And we come to the first of my "borderline favorites", which are songs I really like and could become favorites in the final after actual favorites fail to qualify. I have a tendency to like Azerbaijan's entries, and this one is no exception! What's interesting about this song for me is that I kinda like the verses more than the chorus....if that makes sense? It's still got a good chorus, but the thing that sticks out to me the most about this song is the lyrics. I find them relatable in some ways, or at the very least, were relatable in the past. It can be HARD to resist a crush, especially when it grows, and when the person you have feelings for is dangerous in one way or another, you gotta tell yourself over and over to stay away, stay away, it's not worth it. Keep cool under pressure. They want to break you. Easier said than done, right? Also, this song gets points from me for being energetic and not angsty and whiny about it. Pretty much my only nitpick with it is that I'm still not 100% sure what the chorus is saying...I've come up with "Shut up and ride it", "Shut up and ride in", and "Shut up, I'm right here", before finally settling on the last one. XD (Last minute edit: Apparently it’s “Shut up about it”? I don’t hear that at all. O.o) Prediction: Should qualify without much problem. I know, I know, I said that last year too and that didn't happen, but this one's more popular! It's gonna qualify, and Azerbaijan will be back in the final! As for how well it'll place, errr...on the left side of the board, at least. Maybe JUST outside the top ten, since that's how their last few entries (before last year) have done.

Song: Like It Country: Belarus Thoughts: Something I'm gonna be doing a lot of in this post is talking about lyrics. It's true that good and/or relatable lyrics can make a song better for me, plus in Eurovision, stuff like that is completely optional, so it's a treat when we get it. Songs that tell a story are especially likely to win points from me...and then there's stuff like this that has none of that, and yet I absolutely love it anyway. Yeah...as this song shows, the most important part of music is the music. You can have a song that's basically about nothing and I'll be unable to get enough of it if it has a good beat to it, like this does! This song is sooooooo catchy!! I can't understate that! I felt like it had ingrained itself in my mind after only three or four listens! I feel like I'm almost addicted to this song! So, while lyrics I like can help my opinion of a song, what REALLY makes or breaks a song for me is how it sounds, and this one right here is one of my favorites this year just because I have SO much fun listening to it. That's all there is to it, really! Prediction: Barely any of my favorite songs are especially popular, as I've learned...but at least with this one, I can kiiiiiinda understand why it won't be everyone's cup of tea? I'm still obviously rooting for it, and I'll likely freak out if it manages to qualify, but I won't be holding my breath for it. I just wanna have my happy catchy song in the final, OK? XD I don't predict it'll have much of a chance, though...

Song: Wake Up Country: Belgium Thoughts: I didn't have a big reaction to this song when I first heard it, but I had the sneaking suspicion that it'd end up growing on me...and I was right! It's still not a standout, but I enjoy listening to it whenever it comes on. It has a good chorus, nice lyrics, and uh, yeah! Not much to say here, I just like it! Prediction: I'm not sure about this one...I guess I'll say it'll qualify? It's in the weaker semifinal, in my opinion, so it has a chance! It just needs to stand out a bit more...Maybe the staging will help it?

Song: The Dream Country: Croatia Thoughts: ...I wanna make fun of this song so much, but I know I'd just be lying to myself...Yes, this song is incredibly cheesy. A song about how you "dream of love" is way up there on the cheese meter, and this song is taking itself way too seriously....but GOSHDANG IT I like this flipping song! I can't help it! This is Eurovision, I've heard MUCH worse than this (looking at you, "Our Choice")! And the man can sing, OK? Those high notes, just...so good! He's giving it everything he has, to the point where he seems 100% sincere. Like this IS his dream, and he's gonna belt it out to the world to hear! I can't be annoyed at a song that sounds this good, no matter the subject matter... This might not be one of my favorites, but it's definitely my number one guilty pleasure this year. Prediction: Pffffttt, like this song has any chance in such a strong semifinal. XD

Song: Replay Country: Cyprus Thoughts: If I could sum up this song in one sentence it'd be this: Its title fits it. Why? Because it's just "Fuego" again. I'm not kidding, it's literally just "Fuego" with a different melody and a worse instrumental. Now, I don't think it was intentional - I'm not outright accusing Tamta of ripping off Eleni, that'd be dumb. But it still SOUNDS like a ripoff, is my point. It's not a good look. I really loved "Fuego", so having this the very next year, I couldn't help but be slightly disappointed...not that I dislike this song, I don't! I like it just fine! It's fun and upbeat, and I find myself getting into it sometimes! But the point still stands. I would like this song a LOT more if I had just heard it on its own and had never heard "Fuego" before. That's how it is, sorry...It's still a fun song, I'm not gonna deny that! Prediction: This song is currently pretty popular despite those things about it, so yeah, this is gonna qualify. I kinda don't want it to do THAT well in the final, but I can easily see this cracking the top ten.

Song: Friend Of A Friend Country: Czech Republic Thoughts: Eh, there's not really a lot to say about this one. It's...it's fine. I don't really find it that memorable, though. In fact, I might call this the most forgettable song this year, even though it’s still kinda fun. Because at least the songs I like less than it stand out to me by being the worst songs in my opinon. This one's just kinda there, like a song that exists just to fill time. If you like this song, that's fine! It's not bad! It's just...not that good, either. But maybe that's just me. I don't relate to the lyrics at all, so...eh.  XD Prediction: I really hope this doesn't qualify...there are so many better songs that deserve it more, even in the weaker semifinal...But as for an actual prediction, I honestly have no idea. A lot more people are paying attention to it than I thought, so maybe I'm just an idiot! Umm...I'll say that...it'll qualify, just by virtue of nothing else really sounding like it (See, I can be nice to songs I'm indifferent to!) Maybe it'll stand out more than I give it credit for. It won't be a big favorite, though, and especially won't be as big a hit as last year's Czech entry was.

Song: Love Is Forever Country: Denmark Thoughts: This is a cute song! Sometimes, that's all I need to like a song, but my favorite thing about this song is that there's MORE to it than just being cute. It also pushes a positive message! So, I could call it preachy for that, but I just can't. You can if you want, but I've heard a LOT worse than this. All this song is saying is that love is for everyone, and that's all! Don't think too hard about it! The lyric that makes this song for me is actually "Don't get too political" - it's quick, but it gets everything across perfectly. Because of that line, I know that this isn't a song trying to push some sort of agenda on you, and is actually discouraging getting up in arms over politics about something as simple as love. And then there's the last bit, where she switches between four different languages to get the point across, and it sounds really seamless! Overall, this is a really sweet song, but it didn't get as big a reaction outta me as the last few Danish entries have gotten. That's a really high standard, though. Oh no, Denmark aren't in my top 7 for the fourth year in a row? What a travesty! XD Prediction: Hmmm...I'm thinking this'll qualify. It isn't a front-runner by any means, but I think people will resonate with it. Sadly, this'll probably be at the cost of another song I like, but so be it. In the final, I don't think it'll stand out as much, probably placing around the middle of the board.

Song: Storm Country: Estonia Thoughts: Ooh, this is a really good one! Part of me wishes I could rank this song higher, but I can't due to how much I love all my favorites and borderline favorites. Still, this is a solid hit from Estonia. Great Aviici-like vibe, nice uplifting lyrics, and a great, energetic chorus...what's not to like? This is the type of song I listen to when I'm in a rut and need something to assure me that I'll be safe and sound. Oddly enough, there was a song called "Storm" last year that was about kinda the same thing...I liked that one, but this one is way better. Prediction: Obviously, I want this to qualify. And I do think it has a chance to! I won't be GUTTED if it doesn't, since it's not an absolute favorite of mine (and it's in the same semifinal as my number one favorite, so that's gonna be my priority mostly XD), but I'd appreciate if it did. More people need to hear this song. And Estonia have a good track record (when they're not being outright robbed *cough*2017*cough), so I'll be optimistic and say this'll qualify. I don't think they'll top how good they did last year, though. But speaking of my number one favorite...

Song: Look Away Country: Finland Thoughts: There's something you should know...and it's YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH FINLAND!! WooooooOOOOOO!! I can't believe they topped last year, but they DID!! This song is so good it amazes me! ...Yeah, if it wasn't obvious, this is my favorite song of the bunch. This song is just.....WOW. It brings on an emotion that no other song this years brings, and it does it SO well. Darude makes dance music, and you even get some of that here. Never before has fear and desperation sounded so fun, without sounding happy! Lemme say that again: It's not a happy song at all, but it's FUN to listen to! It's like a grander version of the standard "morbid party song", and to get that from a guy who's mainly known as a meme nowadays!? This almost makes me feel bad for that...If he can make music like this, he deserves to be known for more. Actually, the fact that this song has been overshadowed by the Darude memes kinda bums me out...This is a song that SHOULD NOT be slept on. It's amazing in every way...even more once you listen to the studio version, which is even better. I say that because the official video is a live performance. Listen to the studio version. It's a lot clearer. Finland seriously knocked it outta the park with this one, I stand by that! Prediction: Ugh....once again, my favorite song isn't getting nearly enough attention...It happened last year with "Stones", another awesome song that I felt deserved more, but ended up not qualifying. That better not happen to this song! PLEASE NO! It's even in the weaker semifinal! It can do it! I believe! I belieeeeeve!! Just.....sound good live then as it does in the music video...or even better! I swear, if this song doesn't qualify, I'm gonna chalk it up to "lol it's Finland" and "lol it's Darude" and nothing else. Put Finland in the final, I'm BEGGING, Europe...even if they don't do well in the final, which they DESERVE to, but even if they don't....at least they'll be there. ...Oh yeah, prediction. Well, obviously, I'm biased! Screw it, I'm predicting it'll qualify! The betters have gotten a lot wrong! They underestimated Eugent Bushpepa, and they're underestimating this!

Song: Roi Country: France Thoughts: Ooooh boy, this song. This was, hands down, the biggest grower for me this year. When I first heard it, my reaction was "It sounds fine, but it doesn't stand out all that much"...well, that opinion lasted a couple days at BEST. Because, while reading YouTube comments, I found out exactly what this song was about, and I was won over. For those who don't know, the singer is gay, and the song is about how he loves this about himself, and how he doesn't care what people think. Because he's a king. "Roi" means "king" in French. Once I learned this, my opinion of this song skyrocketed, as I realized how much this song's message will mean to so many people who watch Eurovision, and how many will relate to it. "You put me in a box, want me to be like you"...It's arguably the most meaningful song this year, so..."Doesn't stand out all the much" my hind end, am I right? XD After that, the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. I like how seamlessly it switches between French and English, and overall, it just sounds good. That's true even disregarding the lyrics and the message. This song may not be one of my favorites, but it's in my top ten, and is my favorite entry from France for a long long time. Prediction: Unsurprisingly, this song has become quite popular, and I'm glad it has! I wouldn't be surprised if France places high! Top ten, maybe? I think the televoters will adore this song. Not sure about the juries, though.

Song: Keep On Going Country: Georgia Thoughts: What's the opposite of "growing on you"? Would that be, uh..."shrinking"? This song right here shrunk on me, as stupid as that sounds. I kinda liked it at first - good voice, could tell it was emotional - but it wore thin on me suuuuper quickly...I'm sorry to the people who like it, but I could care less about it now. Normally, I like a good emotional ballad as long as it's interesting, but this one...it just stagnated. It feels longer than it does. AND there are better ballads this year. The vocals are the only thing keeping this from being my least-favorite. And again, I don't dislike this song, I'm just indifferent to it. Prediction: At least I don't have to worry about this somehow making it to the final! Hahahaha no. It won't. XD

Song: Sister Country: Germany Thoughts: Yet another song that's carried by its lyrics! Yeah, music-wise, this isn't anything special. The harmonies are great, but other than that, yeah. But the lyrics...the story this song tells is really heartwarming. Two sisters (or possibly just friends) admitting to each other that they're tired of fighting and wanna make peace...it hits me pretty hard. Not to say I'm brought to tears over it - that was LAST year's German entry - but it still touches me, as someone who grew up constantly at odds with my own sister. We're very...VERY different people, but we care about each other...that's what I get from this song. And there are some very good lyrics in here. "You were walking right beside me,but I left no room for you", "Calling you my enemy, when my enemy's right here", stuff like that. Even if there are a lot of better songs, I like this song because it feels REAL. And it's not boring, either, so that's good! Prediction: Oof...I don't think Germany are gonna do that well this time. If you don't relate to this song like I do, it doesn't stand out very well...I'm thinking this'll place towards the bottom. Sorry...I wanted them to keep doing well after last year! But I got a bad feeling about this one.

Song: Better Love Country: Greece Thoughts: Greece stepped up their game this year! This is a darn good song. It grew on me in a big way. I love how unique the voice is here, it really helps it stand out. I like her voice a lot! And you gotta love a good bridge! That's probably the best part of the song! This isn't one of my favorites, but I can easily hear the appeal here, and I'm happy that it's popular. Prediction: I wanna say this'll qualify, but that's what I said about "Oniro Mou" too, which seemed to be a shoo-in as well, but...eh, I'm gonna count on that not happening two years in a row. I think this is a better song than that was, anyway. So...gonna expect Greece back in the final this year! Heck, maybe this song will end up doing better than we think it will...

Song: Az én apám Country: Hungary Thoughts: ...Why have there been so many dad songs in Eurovision lately? ...OK, so two last year and one this year doesn't really count as "so many", I know. It's just an interesting trend I've noticed. XD Nothing wrong with wanting to appreciate your dads, though! I'm here for the music! But anyway, Joci, Hungary's representative from 2017, is back! I didn't even realize this at first, but now I can pretty safely say that I like the guy. I liked "Origo", thought it was a really cool and unique song. This one, while I don't think it's as good, is also really nice to listen to. His voice makes this song for me, I like it a LOT. And I like how different it is from his last entry. It proves that he can do different things and he's not trying to make "Origo Part 2". I remember saying something similar about Alexander Rybak last year.  Instead of a song that's half rap, we got a slower, more acoustic song that still has a beat to it. I love the last bit especially. It's a great "clap along" moment. Of course, I've listened to it with English subtitles now, and I think the lyrics are pretty touching, so that's a bonus. Prediction: I think this'll qualify. Hungary have been pretty consistent the past few years, and this song isn't nearly forgettable enough to stop that momentum. I don't think it's a front-runner by any means, but it'll at least make it to the final.

Song: Hatrið mun sigra Country: Iceland Thoughts: Well, this is certainly something different for Eurovision! Gotta say, I think I respect this song more than I LIKE it. Screaming has never been my thing, ever. I can tolerate it in small doses, but when a song is MOSTLY screaming, I usually won't like it. So, I thought that'd be the case here. But luckily it did grow on me a bit! It started when I noticed how good the instrumentation was, and started getting used to the screaming instead of cringing at it. It's FAR from my favorite, but that's all genre preference stuff and nothing against it. And c'mon, it's INTERESTING! If you ask me, one of the best things about it is how NOT Eurovision it is! Not just in a musical sense, but even the subject matter - I looked up the translation and hoo boy, did I never expect a song about hatred prevailing and destroying Europe to be in this cheery song contest. And I can't call it a downer because it's sooooo over-the-top with it! I feel like there's so much to dislike about this song, but I can't find it in me to do so! Like I said, it's interesting. (And it's certainly miles above Iceland's entry last year, which I didn't like at all) Prediction: And apparently Europe thinks it's interesting too, because this screamo song is currently in the top 10 picks for the winner in the betting odds. That completely baffles me...But at least I can safely say that it'll qualify for the final due to all the attention it's getting? Not sure if all of it's positive, though...However, songs with vocals like this often sound WORSE live, so either this song'll crash and burn badly, or it'll give Iceland their best showing since 2013, either or!

Song: 22 Country: Ireland Thoughts: This is yet another grower that I've taken to so much that I wish I could rank it higher! It's a really solid song that not only tells a story about trying to move on, but has an upbeat tone that contrasts with that in JUST the right way! It's decently catchy, too! I'm happy that I can enjoy an Irish entry this much, since I haven't in a couple years. Prediction: When I first heard this song, my first thought was "Wow, Ireland are actually trying this year! I think this might actually qualify! They did last year with a boring song that was carried by its staging, so qualifying with this should be easy!" ...buuuuut then I heard the rest of the songs and...yeah, I WISH this had a chance, but the competition is SO strong, especially in its semifinal. It'll be only the second song performed, too...I'd love to hear this in the final, but I won't be hurting too bad if it doesn't make the cut. It's not one of my favorites, I just like it a lot.

Song: Home Country: Israel Thoughts: I find that ballads tend to be growers for me when they don't leave a big first impression. If a ballad has good vocals, and it builds, it can win me over. Like this song! This song is not one of the more notable growers this year, but it's still a grower nonetheless. It's one of the slowest songs of the bunch, but it manages to not be boring, which is something I always like saying. Slow songs ARE NOT always boring. I love this man's voice a LOT. The second verse in particular is where it picks up for me. It sounds like something out of a musical...um, not that I'm normally a musical fan, it's just an observation. It's understandable that Israel wouldn't wanna win two years in a row, so sending a nice ballad like this was a good move. Something good, but not crazy unique...yeah, that probably wasn't intentional, whatever. XD Prediction: I have no idea how this song will do...I can see it being seen as forgettable, but since there aren't many songs like this this year, will that mean it'll technically stand out MORE...? Hmmm...Whatever the case, I can't see this on the top half of the scoreboard, especially with its competition.  

Song: Soldi Country: Italy Thoughts: If there's one thing I've learned from the last few years, it's that Italy REALLY wanna win this dang contest. Their entries have been consistently awesome (well, ALMOST consistently, I remember one misstep), and they STILL haven't done it! Makes me feel kinda bad, especially considering they really should've had it two years ago...but eh, I've complained about that one enough. The point is, the Italians keep on trying, and here they are at it again with this song right here! This isn't one of my favorites, but I can definitely hear the appeal here, although I'm not quite sure what it's about, even after looking up the translation...I think it's about people who pretend to care about you, but only want your money, which...yeah, I could see people relating to that. Still, it's fun and catchy, and I could totally try to sing along to this if I knew Italian. I think there are more fun songs this year, but I still like it! Prediction: Once again, the Italian entry is one of the betters' favorites, and I can see this doing pretty well in the final. I don't think this'll be the winner, but that might just be me comparing it to past Italian entries I liked more, hmmm...I wouldn't be opposed to it, though...? It'll at least be in the top ten, I feel.

Song: That Night Country: Latvia Thoughts: This is one of those songs that isn't even close to being a favorite, but still gets lodged in my head despite that! Last year, that happened with "Light me up, light me up, now baby", and this year, we got this song. This downbeat, simple song still manages to have a catchy chorus! It's weird, but true! I would NOT call this the catchiest song in the contest, not when the Belarusian, Polish, and Swiss entries exist, and really, it's only that one part in the chorus. But dang, I've caught myself singing "Lo-o-o-o-ove, where are you? Lo-o-o-o-ove, I need you" many times over the past month. XD But as a whole, this song's pretty sweet and kinda relaxing in a way, but nothing spectacular. Prediction: *ahem* No-o-o-o-o~! ...Sorry, I had to. Um, yeah, this song's not qualifying. Latvia's last entry was a lot better, and that one didn't do it, so this one's not gonna do it, either.

Song: Run With The Lions Country: Lithuania Thoughts: This song's pretty decent, but nothing special. I'm all for happy songs, but I feel like this one doesn't have as much energy as it should...Eh, maybe that's just me. I still like the lyrics, and the beat is fine. I like the little drumrolls during the chorus. It's just not too much of a standout for me....In that regard, it's a typical Lithuanian entry that I like, but don't love. Prediction: I wouldn't really count on this qualifying...It's in the (in my opinion) stronger semifinal, and could easily end up forgotten. But Lithuania have surprised me before, so maybe that'll happen again...? If they do end up qualifying, they will NOT do as well as they did last year, though. Not even close.

Song: Chameleon Country: Malta Thoughts: The pre-chorus of this song is sooooooo good! When life briiiiings you trouble, this I know~ We'll never walk away,nana~ Walk away, nana~ We are TEEEECHNICOLOR, watch us go~ Seriously, if the entire song was as good as that part, this could've been one of my favorites! And as it is, I still really like it. I love the concept of comparing "I can adapt to whatever you throw at me" to chameleons, I think that's really clever! I love stuff like that. It's true that I wish it had a stronger chorus than just "Chama-chameleon" a few times (which I can't help but mishear as "Karma Chameleon", shut up I like my 80s music), but that's only a nitpick. It's a strong entry, and good to see Malta still sending their best after getting robbed last year. Prediction: OK, THIS time, Malta will qualify! This has been rising in the betting odds a bit recently, and I'm happy it's gaining momentum! It's not one of MY favorites, but I still like it, and will look forward to it being in the final! As for how it'll do once it's there...I think it'll probably do pretty well?

Song: Stay Country: Moldova Thoughts: When you say something is your "second-favorite", it's sometimes not taken as a compliment, because it comes off as "Good, but not AS good as this other thing"! Well, here, it's completely the opposite. I LOVE this song so so so so so SOOOOO much, to the point where part of me wishes I COULD call it my favorite. Whenever it comes on, it FEELS like my favorite! This song leaves such an impression on me, and I can't really put into words why...It's just...everything works! I feel a lot of the same emotions from this as from my second-favorite last year, "Mall", in that there's so much raw emotion in the way it's sung, and that just elevates it to a whole new level to me...It sounds weird, but its true: The vocals are incredible here. But my favorite thing about this song is that it BUILDS. HOLY CRAAAAAP DOES IT BUILD. It gets bigger and bigger with each part, and it's soooo effective! And it all caps off with this SUPER AMAZING part with the drums, before the key change kicks in, just, MMMMMMMM, good flipping stuff!! Again, putting my love of this song into words is really difficult, just like it was with "Mall", so I guess the short version is: It gives me feels. And if a song gives me good feels, I'll love it. Prediction: As much as I wanna say the same thing as I did with Finland's entry here, I really can't. I COULD call this song underrated, but this might also be a case of knowing that it's...just me. Moldova are known for sending over-the-top, silly stuff, which this song is far from. And emotional powerbombs like this song aren't as popular, though they CAN be....I dunno, I WANNA be optimistic here, and say it'll qualify, but looking at how overlooked it is, I just can't do it....The second semifinal is chalk full of strong songs, so the chances of this one making it...I'll just have to pray that it's staged beautifully, or else...As it is, it's not looking so good. How I react depends on how Finland does in the first semifinal. But right now, I've mostly accepted the fact that my opinion of this song is in the minority, and that it...p-probably...won't...qualify...But at least I'll keep loving it.

Song: Heaven Country: Montenegro Thoughts: Guess what? Yet another unpopular opinion! I personally really like this song, and don't understand why a lot of people don't care for it. I have no problem with it! I like happy songs, and this one's got a unique sound to it that makes it stand out. Not to mention, I adore the vocals here! Especially the female vocals, I think those voices are gorgeous. I mean, I GUESS it's a little repetitive? But the repetition doesn't bother me one bit, especially compared to stuff like "Do It For Your Lover". Like I said waaaaayyy up there about Belarus' entry, lyrics aren't everything in a song. Sometimes all it takes is sounding good, and that's true here. I dare say this is one of my favorite songs from Montenegro for quite a few years! Prediction: Dead last in the betting odds, a country that doesn't have a good record with qualifying...Yeah, this song's probably doomed. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it qualified, though!

Song: Arcade Country: The Netherlands Thoughts: Well, I wasn't as surprised at this year's pre-contest favorite as much as last year's, that's for sure! This is a good darn song. My favorite thing about it is definitely its lyrics. Comparing a hopeless love to an arcade of all things? That's something I've never thought of before, and it flipping WORKS! It's crazy! Maybe it just works for ME since I'm a gamer with a crush, but  still! "Loving you is a losing game" is one of the best lyrics in the contest this year, I stand by that. XD Sure, the song starts off slow, but the chorus is worth the buildup. Especially the final chorus!  It took a few listens for me to take notice of the brilliance here, and I still wouldn't call it one of the standout songs for me personally, but I totally understand this song's popularity. Prediction: I could very well see this being our winner, unless some other song ends up usurping it live. Since it's not one of my favorites, I can't really say I'm rooting for it (of the top-ranked songs, I'm definitely team Sweden, and even prefer Switzerland too), but I certainly wouldn't mind it! The Netherlands haven't won in a suuuuuuuper long time! I still wouldn't put all my coins in this slot though (heehee), since things could always change...for now, all I'm predicting is that this song will qualify for the final, and place in the top ten.

Song: Proud Country: North Macedonia Thoughts: This is a pretty good ballad. I like it. It's not outstanding, but I don't think it's trying to be. It's going for the "simple yet effective" approach. Like any good ballad, it has strong vocals, and its message is pretty good too, letting you know that being proud and standing up for yourself is a-OK! Despite those praises however, I can't say it stands out all the much...I mean, I GUESS it's one of only a few ballads this year, but still...It kinda gets lost in the shuffle to me, which has sadly been a trend with the Macedonian entries the past few years... Prediction: This song is more popular than I thought it'd be, but Macedonia have suuuuuch bad luck at Eurovision that I STILL can't be positive this'll qualify. Especially since it's in the second semifinal - in my opinion, the stronger one. If it does qualify, good for them, but...I kiiiiinda hope it won't? I mean, I like it, but the second semifinal has such good stuff in there that this qualifying could come at the price of a song I like more....but eh, it's still a good enough song. If it does make it to the final, I don't see it placing that highly, though. This won't be another "Crno I Belo", is what I'm getting at.

Song: Spirit In The Sky Country: Norway Thoughts: One of my favorites! This is a song that I thought was cool the first listen, and amazingly awesome now. The best way I can describe it is...it's to this year what "Higher Ground" was last year - it has that atmosphere to it that just gives you chills, and I LOVE songs that can do that! Granted, I don't think this song is QUITE as effective as "Higher Ground" was, and there are definitely differences in that this song is more poppy than that was, but it's still an achievement! A song that has a magical quality to it while also having a boppin' beat! Oh, and the vocals on this are excellent, too. And the "joiking" is super cool, and...everything here comes together perfectly! This is one of the best songs this year, and I will go down defending it! Prediction: This is thankfully one of my two favorites I won't have to worry about in the semis (the other being Sweden). This song's getting a lot of attention, for good reason, and even though it's fallen a BIT in the betting odds when I last checked it, I'm still not worried about it in the slightest. Norway's good to go this year! I'll even predict a top ten finish here because I'm just that optimistic!

Song: Fire Of Love (Pali się) Country: Poland Thoughts: So, you know how I feel about scream-singing.....how about yell-singing? That's a unique thing that we don't get often, although it's tradition in a lot of places I understand...This is the kind of thing that not everyone's gonna like, but...I really like this song. It's one of my borderline favorites. It just sounds so goshdang happy, and that beat is infectious! This is one of the catchiest songs this year, right up there with Belarus' song. The unique vocals really add to it, too - I feel that if it was sung normally, I wouldn't like it as much. Stuff like this can be hit or miss with me, so I'm happy this one's a hit. Poland's taking a risk this year, and I hope it works out for them! Prediction: Hoo boy, this song's gonna be devisive...It's currently pretty low in the betting odds, so I'm honestly not expecting it to qualify. It all hinges on how it sounds live, I guess...as a fan, I really hope I'm proved wrong, but I wouldn't mind losing this one if my two favorites in the first semifinal make it through and it doesn't.

Song: Telemóveis Country: Portugal Thoughts: Like the Australian entry, this song confused me when I first heard it...even moreso since I didn't understand the lyrics. XD But it interested me, with its unique instrumentation, and after looking up the translation, I like it more now! I like the story it tells! Even beyond that, I think it sounds pretty good. I normally don't gravitate towards this kind of music, so coming across something like this and enjoying it was something I didn't expect at all. The downside of this song is that it wears on me if I listen to it too much, however, so it's not toward the top of my list...But still, good work Portugal, this is yet another entry from you I like! Keep it up! Prediction: I'm predicting that Portugal will qualify this year. Like I said before, nothing else sounds like it, and not in a bad way, so I can see it leaving a reasonable impact. The betting odds agree with me on this one. Not sure how well it'll do once it's in the final, though...

Song: On A Sunday Country: Romania Thoughts: This is a song that I know by heart, despite it not being a favorite. It's got a mesmerizing beat that makes me wanna sway along every single time, what can I say? I like how it slowly builds, but I also like how it sounded at the beginning with the guitar. The lyrics are great, too. It's about being unable to move on from a past love. This song won't be for everyone, but I think it's a good one. Prediction: Now that we know that it IS in fact possible for Romania to not qualify, I'm....honestly not sure about their chances. I believe that their last entry was a better song, and that just BARELY didn't make it...plus, it's in a very solid semifinal. Hmmm...I'll say that...it sadly won't qualify. Going off the betting odds for this one, since I have no idea otherwise. I can see people thinking it's a bit too plain of a song...Maybe Moldova will help, maybe it won't be enough...If it does qualify, I'll be pretty happy, though!

Song: Scream Country: Russia Thoughts: Last year, Russia failed to qualify for the final for the first time ever. THIS year, they're not playing around. They brought back the guy who won the televote in 2016, Sergey Lazarev! Naturally, I was excited about this, since at this point, I think I can safely call "You Are The Only One" one of my favorite Eurovision entries EVER. It's up there, at least! This song, however, isn't as good, but only due to the bar being set too high. XD This is a great song! It's very hard-hitting and emotional, with great lyrics about fighting inner demons...I mean, c'mon, after loving the heck outta "Monsters" last year, it should be obvious right now that I like songs about that, right? However, even with all the praise I can sing about this song, it's not one of my favorites. Only due to competition, though! Prediction: This is easy!  This is one of the favorites to win! It's currently up there with the Netherlands! I have a hard time deciding which of those two I like more...I think this one? But I'd be fine with either or. But the point is, it's gonna qualify and do really well in the final. This is a top ten song! ...I say top ten to be safe. I've been doing that after what happened two years ago. XD I could very well see this winning if it's performed well, though! And I'd be fine with it!

Song: Say Na Na Na Country: San Marino Thoughts: This song is SOOOO much fun, oh my god! It's amazing just how much better this is than the last time Serhat was in Eurovision! "I Didn't Know" was a song I could only like ironically, and now he gives the world THIS! You can still easily tell it's him - his voice is distinct - it's just that now he's not trying to be smooth, he's trying to have fun. And oh boy does it work! What's funny is that this is yet another "Let's cut loose and have a good time" song, and I like it SO much more than Lithuania's entry in that regard. It's  more upbeat, and it's got so much more going for it! Yes, it's goofy, and yes, it's not deep at all, but it's not trying to be. Just listen to Serhat's ridiculous voice and have a good time. If this were a weaker year, this could've been a borderline favorite for me, but since there are quite a few songs I happen to like more, I can't rank it any higher. Prediction: Yeeeeaaaahhh....no. From what I've seen, the people who like this song REALLY love it, but it won't be enough to get San Marino in the final. I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong, but I don't think that's gonna happen unless something really crazy happens. I'll be perfectly fine with seeing it once live, but it's not final material for sure.

Song: Kruna Country: Serbia Thoughts: Oh my god, the pipes on this lady! What a voice! What an amazing voice! And the way the song builds after the first chorus, mmmm, good stuff! Yeah, this is another song that I wish I could rank higher. I'm always so focused on my favorites, and whenever this song comes on I think "Oh yeah, this song exists and is really really good!" I get that reaction from a few songs, but this is definitely one of the bigger examples of that. I really do adore this one. I love the lyrics, too. It's just a declaration of love and devotion, simple as that, and daaaaang does she sell it! Prediction: This is pretty low in the betting odds, but I honestly still think it has a fair chance of qualifying. Serbia have a pretty good track record, and this is a solid entry from them. This song could end up creeping up on people and winning them over like it did me!

Song: Sebi Country: Slovenia Thoughts: And we come to my least-favorite song this year...Gotta put the mandatory "sorry if you like it" comment here before saying that...this just isn't my thing. I obviously do have the ability to like downbeat stuff, but this just doesn't do it for me. The singer sounds half-asleep, and if the singer doesn't sound interested in what she's singing, why should I be? I know there are people out there who like that type of vocal (my dad does, off the top of my head), but I'm not one of those people. This gets absolutely no reaction out of me whatsoever. Maybe I'd like it more if I could understand the lyrics? ...But on the other hand, the fact that it's in Slovene is arguably the most interesting thing here, so I dunno about that. And y'know what? I'll say this: If this is the worst Eurovision 2019 has to offer, than that's a pretty good thing! Because this is FAR from the most boring song to come out of this contest. Heck, this isn't even the worst Slovenian entry I've ever heard, either. There ARE times where it feels like I could almost come close to liking it, mainly due to the instrumentation, and that's more that I could say about my least-favorites from previous years. The last three years there's been one That One Song that I can't stand, and this doesn't even come close to that. I'll take indifference to that any day. Prediction: I wish I could say this has no chance of qualifying, but I think it does...Seeing it getting more attention from the betters than the songs from the first semifinal that I actually love is mildly upsetting. But since I don't feel anything either way for it, I guess it being in the final would be...fine. As long as I get stuff I like alongside it.

Song: La Venda Country: Spain Thoughts: FUN! I like fun songs! And I like how many fun songs there are this year! Dang, this is a good one...just a solid burst of energy, the kind of music you listen to for a good pick-me-up. When I hear this song, I don't hear someone trying to win a competition, I hear someone just wanting to party! There's not really much else to say, because I think that about sums it up. It's a lot of fun and makes me smile! Eurovision in a nutshell, really. Spain's entry last year didn't leave much of an impression on me (to the point where it took me a couple moments to remember what it was), but I have a feeling that won't be the case this year. Prediction: Like I said, this is just a happy feel-good song, not winner material, but I really do think Spain could got outta their bad streak with this. It's been getting a fair amount of attention, and it definitely stands out! This is the most solid Spanish entry for quite a while, and I think many people agree with me on that.

Song: Too Late For Love Country: Sweden Thoughts: Feels great to have Sweden back in my top 5, since the last time that happened was with "Heroes"! Their entries can be flipping incredible, and this song is just THAT! HOOOOOLY CRAP this song is SOOOO GOOD! Like with Moldova above, I can't even articulate everything I like about this song! I'll try though...*ahem* Good singer! Great lyrics! The way the song comes alive at the chorus JUST as the lyrics get the most uplifting! Not to mention those two simple words, "HEAR ME!" carrying so much weight...And the flipping CHOIR, my god, it fits in perfectly and adds so much! It's SUCH a big song, such a grand declaration of love, and I'm a sucker for everything in it! What's more to say? I love this song! It's very solidly my third favorite in the contest, and, no joke, my favorite Swedish entry since the famous "Euphoria". Not sure how many people will agree with me on that. XD Prediction: It should come as no surprise that out of the betters' favorites, this one is my favorite, though being ranked fifth doesn't mean it's an absolute front-runner once the contest starts...Still, I'm team Sweden all the way! I'm not expecting this to be the winner, but anything less than the top five doesn't do this song justice. And, well, at least I won't have to worry about this one not qualifying, unlike my top two!

Song: She Got Me Country: Switzerland Thoughts: And we come to the last of the big favorites! The one that nearly EVERYONE on YouTube has in their top five, and honestly...I can see why! This song is a ton of fun, simply put. It's catchy and has great instrumentals that make you wanna dance along! But, uh...I can't be the only one who liked Switzerland's last entry better, right...? They actually sent my favorite song last year...So there was no way this song was gonna live up to that for me. XD I loved "Stones", and it didn't make it to the final. The fact that this one is getting so much attention COULD bother me for that reason, but it doesn't. I can recognize a really fun song when I hear one, and this is just that. Not only that, but with how Switzerland's record is, ANY entry of theirs getting this popular is a treat! It could've been overlooked, but it hasn't, because it's just that good! Prediction: This song would have to sound REALLY bad live in order to not qualify. XD And I'm not counting on that to happen! Welcome back to the final, Switzerland! In fact...I hope I don't eat my words for this, but...This might end up being their most successful showing of the 2010s...There's not much competition for that, mind you, so I'm pretty much just saying "They'll do better than they did in 2014". Yeah. XD

Song: Bigger Than Us Country: United Kingdom Thoughts: And we finally come to the last song...and daaaaang is it a good one! Yeah, believe it or not, the UK's entry is one of my favorites this year! I LOVE this song! It takes the sincere cheesiness of Croatia's entry and pumps it full of everything I love about Sweden's entry, if that makes sense - the vocals on this are incredible, and the buildup is one of the best! This song gets bigger and bigger as it goes, until it reaches the point where it doesn't JUST feel like love is the thing that's bigger than us, but also this song. Whenever I listen to this song, I feel nothing but joy. Complete and utter joy. Maybe this song isn't as technically impressive as, say, "Never Give Up On You", but for me, this is the absolute biggest reaction I've gotten out of one of the UK's entries since 2014. Good. Flipping. Stuff. Prediction: Sadly, I feel like this song's not gonna do as well as it deserves...The UK have struck out with the televoters the past couple years and it's really brought them down. I hope this'll be the year that trend is broken, but given how strong the competition is....eeeehhh...Maybe they'll do better than last year? But any more than that, I dunno...It's sad, since this is one of my favorites, but at least I won't be surprised....unless it does unexpectedly well! In that case, sure, I wouldn't mind being surprised! ^^

And that's all of 'em! Are you still here? Did you read all of that? If you did, good work, I applaud you. XD I'm definitely a rambler. But here's the part that really matters: my ranking!

Favorites:

1. Finland 2. Moldova 3. Sweden 4. Norway 5. UK 6. Belarus 7. Armenia

Borderline Favorites:

8. Poland 9. Azerbaijan 10. France 11. Estonia

Like:

12. Switzerland 13. Serbia 14. San Marino 15. Croatia 16. Ireland 17. Russia 18. Malta 19. Spain 20. Netherlands 21. Montenegro 22. Romania 23. Hungary 24. Italy 25. Belgium 26. Greece 27. Cyprus 28. Denmark 29. Albania 30. Germany 31. Israel 32. Iceland 33. Lithuania 34. Latvia 35. Portugal 36. North Macedonia 37. Australia 38. Austria

Indifferent:

39. Czech Republic 40. Georgia 41. Slovenia